


When Darkness has Dominion

by BronsonL



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Bromance, Cargument, Danny Whump, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Danny, Hurt Steve, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, No Slash, Serial Killer, Steve Whump, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-02-08 05:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 52,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12858183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BronsonL/pseuds/BronsonL
Summary: A bizarre call gets personal to Five-0 fast and leads to an unwanted case and danger for more than one of the ohana. Suspenseful and angsty, with friendship, bromance, and of course... Danny whump and throw in a little Steve whump.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is a proper noun. No copyright infringement intended.

 

"Steve!"

No reply.

"Steven J. McGarrett, you answer me now!"

Once again nothing. Not a 'Chill, Danny' or a 'You're overreacting, Danny.' The silence was deafening. Well, the silence from his absent partner at least. There was still the persistent but subtle roar of distant waves and the lapping of surf at the nearby beach and the wind was picking up causing a whistling in the open corridor.

Nature, in general, was not a friend to Danny Williams. The increasing, vexatious breeze was whipping at his fastidiously groomed hair, his most prized object of vanity. The stifling humidity was causing sweat to bead on his forehead, or maybe it was the gut-level feeling of apprehension.

Now, as the waning daylight started to play with them, he didn't know if he could trust his own eyes. Dusk was the time of day he hated most. His brain had to make the transition from using the remnants of natural light from the deep sinking sun, to trusting the artificial illumination supplied from the tactical beam of his flashlight that was held as a support for the arm gripping his weapon. His frustration and anxiety weaving together began to feel like an inkling of desperation.

 _When had things gone south?_ ~~

The anonymous call had come in to the Five-0 headquarters less than an hour before. Lou, Chin, and Kono had already left at staggered intervals as they finished up their day. Danny had made it to the parking lot, and was about to get into his car, when Steve jogged out to stop him.

"Hey, Danny, wait up! We just got a call about a disturbance on the coastline. Let's go check it out."

"A disturb... a disturbance? You've got to be kidding me. HPD can handle that. What're you thinking?" Wedged between the open door and the car's interior, Danny leaned his elbow on the top of the car door looking at his partner like he had finally lost his last marble. "I'm ordering a 5150 for you tomorrow, babe." He started to climb into the car.

"Come on. It'll be fun. It's been somewhat quiet around the office lately and this call came in to us specifically." Except for lending cursory support to the Honolulu Police Department with their latest John Doe homicide investigation, it had been slower than normal lately. Since there were no other cases, Steve seemed to be brimming at the edge, looking for action.

"Look, Braveheart, I know this is your kind of thing, but I'm tired and there's a game on tonight. I just want to get home."

Steve turned and started walking away. "Alright, have a good evening. Enjoy the game."

 _He gave up way too quickly._ "Where are _you_ going?" Danny called after him.

"I'm going to go check it out myself."

"You're gonna... of course you're gonna check it out yourself." Danny let out a long sigh and dropped his head in resignation. "Would ya hold up?!"

A smile spread across Steve's face, unseen to Danny since he was facing away from him. He tried his best to wipe the evidence off his face before turning around but remnants of the grin remained.

Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head in an expression of annoyed indignation and stepped out from behind his car door and threw the key to Steve as he made his way to the other side.

"What is the matter with you?"

"What do you mean?" Steve played ignorant.

"You must have an abnormal gene defect or something. There's gotta be a scientific explanation for why your brain works the way it does. Maybe we can get Noelani to look into that."

"Noelani only works on cadavers."

"So, what's your point?"

"Cute, Danny."

"You didn't tell me. Where are we headed?"

"Kailua Beach."

"Okay... a little more than that would be nice."

"Some old abandoned motel. The caller said they heard screams."

"And this caller was anonymous? What's up with that?"

"I don't know. Maybe they were scared."

Danny pursed his lips and nodded. "Well, why would they call Five-0 and not the police? It doesn't make sense." Now that Danny was giving it more thought, a tingle went down his spine. Something seemed very wrong with this scenario.

"Let's just check it out and we'll make conclusions after we have more info." Steve was trying to appeal to Danny's ingrained sense of reason derived from his detective training and experience.

"Well I don't like it."

"Shocking."

Danny was very logical, but he also had a keen sense of intuition and his pessimistic side kicked in. He was the glass half empty kind of guy but he had great instincts when it came to crime solving. Steve would be the first to admit that. His partner was one of the elite in his field. But right now, Steve's interest was piqued, and after a boring week, he was ready for a little excitement. _Maybe that's what Danny had meant. Maybe there was something wrong with him. Eh... no, he was perfectly normal. Danny must be the one with issues._ Steve smiled to himself as he dismissed his musings because they had arrived at their destination.

They pulled up at the abandoned motel as the sun was setting. There was very little light left to the day. Danny reveled in the sight of this relic as it took him back to some of the beloved doo wop motor lodges he had stayed in during spring breaks at the beaches of Wildwood in Jersey. This small, dilapidated, two-story motel's best days were long gone. It probably had a good run for a while in prior decades since it was close to a good surfing area, but the centralization of tourism closer to Honolulu and Waikiki had surely been the catalyst in the death of this cute little place.

The place looked like it belonged on an antique postcard from the sixties. Danny fantasized the card would be faded, and in front of the motel would be a woodie, complete with a surfboard on top, an Edsel for the nuclear family, and the then-new-to-the-market Ford Mustang, red like Chin's, all prominently parked outside, appealing to each of the motel's target consumers.

The bygone days had definitely taken its toll. Even the street lights had been extinguished with time. Weeds had gradually grown up through the cracks in the concrete. The "lacy" looking railing made of decorative, perforated, concrete blocks along the walkways was breaking off in chunks and what was sure to have at one time been pristine white shutters draped along the sides of the individual windows were now rugged and chipped. Some were hanging, only a nail or two keeping them from falling. The dark teal paint of the wide vertical plank siding boards, though crackled and peeling, was still persevering and Danny imagined that inside the rooms, there was surely wooden paneling on the walls and high-pile shag carpeting.

"Wow, I don't think even Norman Bates would be found dead here." Danny's use of the chosen cliché may not have been the best decision due to the irony of the locale and the reason for the men being there.

"Who's Norman Bates?"

"Seriously?" Danny paused and looked at his partner as if he'd just asked who Babe Ruth was. "Another time, sweetheart. I've got a lot of work ahead of me... cultureless animal."

Steve was already opening his door, eager to check out the area.

Danny was eager as well, but to get this over with. Upon exiting the vehicle, he headed in the opposite direction of Steve, toward the trunk to get the tac vests. He had to call Steve back as he had already started to approach the motel.

"Hey! Forgetting something, Dory?" gesturing his hand toward the gear now exposed in the open trunk. He would not have to explain that pop culture reference as Steve was with them on movie night watching one of Charlie's favorites.

Steve looked from Danny to the motel, itching to get going, but threw his arms up in acquiescence and turned back toward the car. He let Danny have his way because another argument would just slow down the process. They both geared up as Danny verbally danced around his reticent feelings. "The place looks deserted. Doesn't look like anyone's been here in years. You think we've got the right address?"

"Yep. This is it. Let's go."

"Steve, how 'bout we call in for some backup. Something doesn't sit right with me."

"It's fine, Danny. We'll be each other's backup. Come on."

Removing their firearms from their holsters and keeping them at the ready, they approached the L-shaped building. Steve motioned his hand for Danny to take the north wing and he would take the east. Danny kept to the same side of the building that they had approached from, Steve traversed through the central breezeway to the interior, poolside courtyard area to check his wing.

That had been the last time Danny had seen his partner.

On the lower level, two of the former "rooms" didn't have an outside wall any longer and three were missing doors completely. Danny found it easy to quickly clear those and move on. He quietly and meticulously tried and found every room that had a door on the lower level locked. He would stop every now and then to just listen. He didn't know what he was listening for, but he would understand when he heard it.

Nothing.

He ventured as quietly as possible to the upper floor, but the rusted metal stairway was uncooperative in his objective. Nonetheless, the small noise didn't seem to have alerted anyone so he again methodically listened and then checked each door. This time he turned the knob on one of the doors and was not met with the same resistance as before. It fully turned indicating it was unlocked. He listened first and then slowly pushed on the doorknob he held in place after turning. He shined his light into the darkened room and entered.

The room was stuffy and had a foul, stale odor. There was no furniture and no wood paneling as he had imagined, but there _was_ shag carpet, complete with large stains, of which, he was positive he did _not_ want to know what the source was. There was also graffiti painted on the wall, but the place appeared to have not had inhabitants in quite a while. He gave up on that room and went back to the exterior walkway.

After two more locked doors, he turned the knob to another unlocked door. Again, he cautiously opened the door and immediately, the edge of his beam caught a mouse scurrying across the floor.

"Filthy creatures." He murmured disgustedly, snarling his nose. _Grace and Charlie would consider the thing "cute"._ The amusing thought was a welcome temporary diversion.

The room was similar to the last open one, minus the graffiti, but was more aired out. However, sitting on the floor, there was also a partially burned column candle placed on a disposable soda cup lid, and beside that, a paper bag filled with trash from the same fast food joint. After checking and clearing the bathroom as well, he went back outside. He quickly checked the remaining doors on the upper level to find them locked.

_This is a ridiculous waste of time. We must have been hoodwinked... some wisenheimer out for fun. I missed kickoff for this?_

He made the decision to forego the other side of this wing and went to find his partner, certain he would have had the same outcome. He holstered his weapon but maintained use of his flashlight out of necessity and descended the steps at the other end of the walkway.

The courtyard side of the decrepit edifice was just a few steps from the stairs that had taken him to the breezeway that cut through the center of the two parts of the building. The natural light from the darkened orange sky was very limited. He didn't see or hear his partner so he tracked his light beam along each of the doors on Steve's wing. Sweat began to roll down his face but the stronger breeze on this ocean side of the motel cooled and dried it. Even though his body didn't feel cold, he felt an unanticipated shiver surge through him.

"Steve." He made the spontaneous choice to break the silence knowing that _if_ someone were there it would surely alert them, if they weren't already aware of their presence. He spoke casually in his normal voice.

"Hey, Steve."

He began to climb the stairs on Steve's designated side to check upstairs. _Steve must be inside one of those rooms up there. Or... maybe he's made it around to the other side already._

His lackadaisical state began to fade with the silence and something inside his gut made him pull out his gun again and raise it to the ready position. All of his senses were heightened. He had only ascended a few steps when he heard a thud. His body reacted instantly. The sudden noise in the quiet air made him quickly turn in that direction.

It had come from the opposite side of the part of the building he had just left, the side he had failed to clear, the one he had given up on. He turned and raced back in the direction from which he had come. ~~

* * *

 

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	2. Chapter 2

"Steve!"

No reply.

"Steven J. McGarrett, you answer me now!" The volume of his voice was not a consideration at this point. He needed to know where his partner was and if the source of that menacing sound could help him to discover that piece of essential information.

Much more rapidly than before, and without stopping his advance, he cast his light in the direction of the rooms, from one door to the next on that side of the building, looking for something, anything. His heart was beating quickly and his adrenaline spiked.

_If anything happened to the big idiot, it would be on him. How many times had he nagged the hardhead about the importance of backup, and now, he was the one to fall short._ The internal scolding he was giving himself was useless and unproductive. He needed to stay focused. He _needed_ to find his partner.

He was hoping to see movement and was requiring at least another sound to narrow his search. _Had it come from upstairs or down?_ Another sound never followed the previous one. Instead, a flicker of light caught his attention in the obscurity of the twilight. He would have discovered it earlier, if he had just done his job and cleared that side of his appointed wing.

Squelching his inner castigation for now, so he could stay on task, he arrived at the lower level room. The door was partially open, only allowing a sliver of the flickering light to emit from behind it. Danny decided to not be the bust-the-door-down crazy man as was his partner. He instead took cover behind the outer wall and barely pushed on the door with his gloved hand.

The door unexpectedly glided open easily and without sound. What caught Danny's attention immediately made his racing heart skip a beat. Lying on the floor was Steve's SIG, the tactical light still turned on, sending a narrow beam of light eerily across the floor in the direction away from the door. Adding to that light was the source of the flickering, the scant flame from a single lit candle. He shined his own flashlight over the room. There was no one there. He quickly checked the bathroom and came back and picked up Steve's gun, flipped off the light, and fed it into the back of his waistband. He ran to the outside and anxiously searched in both directions.

"Steve!"

He pulled out his phone to call Chin, never taking his eyes off of his surroundings, hoping to see something. He mentally cursed the lack of light. He started to jog toward the breezeway to get to the parking lot side of the building again, when he heard the sound of a vehicle's engine start up. The ignited revving came from his right, at the end of the north wing. Danny continued to the far side of the building where he had been heading. Looking to his right, he saw a dark pickup truck squealing tires out of the parking lot.

"What the hell. Hey! Hey, stop!"

With the light of his flashlight struggling to cover the distance, he still leveled his gun in that direction. The light proved to be insufficient. Black, green, blue... he couldn't tell. If there was a license plate, he couldn't see it. He was pretty sure it was nonexistent. He could make out, but barely, the familiar logo prominently located in the center of the tailgate.

"Damn it, damn it." Danny didn't know what to do. He twisted back and looked at the building from where he had come. His thoughts were going a mile a minute. _Where was his partner? Could he still be back in one of those rooms... injured, dead, or dying? Nope, not going there. Was he unconscious? Is that why he wasn't answering him? What if he was in that truck? Why would he be in that truck?_

He decided to call out one more time in the direction of the building. "Steve!" His frantic voice carried in the darkness.

But again, nothing.

His gut instinct kicked in. Making the uncomfortable decision to go on that feeling, he ran to the Camaro. Phone in hand, he pushed the button to complete the call to Chin.

_Had Steve given the keys back to him?_ He checked his pockets as the phone rang, switching hands when needed to maintain contact with the call. _No keys._ He went ahead and climbed into the driver's seat as he heard the voice on the other side of the phone. Steve had left the keys dangling from the ignition. _Thank you, Steve._

"Danny? What are you doing call..." Chin tried to get out before Danny interrupted.

"Chin, I think Steve's in some real trouble. You need to meet me."

"What's going on, brah? Where are you? Where's Steve?" At hearing Danny's alarm, Chin's casual tone turned serious.

"I'm not sure where he is. He had gotten an anonymous call about some trouble at Kailua Beach, and he's a hard-headed idiot and a rambunctious toddler rolled into one, and I need to have my head examined cause I went along, and..."

"Whoa, hold up Danny, tell me where you are now." Chin knew he had to curtail Danny's customary release of nerves.

Danny whipped his car out of the parking lot and took off in the direction of the truck.

"You may want to track my GPS. I'm going after a truck that Steve may be in."

"You're what?! ' _May_ be in?' What truck?" Chin was trying his best to process the limited information.

"Just get to Kailua Beach... the old Shady Breeze Motel. He could still be there. I don't know, Chin." He paused and was surprised Chin didn't jump in with more questions. His next words were slower and lower in tone as he was feeling dejected. "I let my partner down, Chin, I don't know where he is."

"It's okay, Danny. We're on it. I'll get the team there right away. Do you know if Steve still has his phone on him?"

_His phone... how could he have forgotten that? It hadn't been in the room with his gun, not that he had seen at least. He must still have it._ "Yeah, maybe, I don't know. I didn't try it. Try a trace just in case. I'm gonna hang up and call it."

"'kay. We're on our way. Be careful and don't do anything crazy."

"That's him, Chin, not me. I'll be back in touch."

He put in the call to Steve's phone wondering why he hadn't tried that sooner. He heard the familiar sound of the outgoing ring... once, twice, three times... "This is Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett. Please leave a message and I'll get back... ". Danny hit the button to hang up and hit the steering wheel with the heel of his hand.

"Damn it, Steve."

Danny was speeding up the road, heading north in the direction the pickup went. He pushed the Camaro's horsepower to its limit. There was no traffic on the back road at this time of day, but he had his blue lights and sirens on anyway. The sky was completely black now, the time of the new moon. He would only be able to see the truck he was following by its lights.

He questioned himself on why he was chasing after this vehicle. _What if Steve was back there and needed his help?_ The thought made him shift in his seat and he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, his thumb sweeping back and forth over the grip in nervousness. He replayed the last half hour in his head, trying to remember something that would help, that he had forgotten or overlooked. A previously disregarded detail came to mind, but he was distracted from the thought when he rounded a corner and saw taillights in the distance on a long straightaway stretch of road. _Had he caught up with this guy this fast? Maybe this wasn't the same vehicle._

He pressed down more on the gas pedal to take advantage of the straight road. Unless his eyes were playing games with him again, the lights ahead of him were not moving. No, he _was_ closing the distance between the vehicles... rapidly. He was still several yards away, though, when he saw something on the road in front of him. He had to slam his foot on the brake and jerk the steering wheel to keep from hitting the object in front of him. The car's rear tires slid sideways in the skid but there was no impact. His car had come to an abrupt stop, but he had managed to avoid the obstacle.

He jumped out and took cover behind his car, ducking down with his back against the rear quarter panel. Pulling out his firearm, he ventured a quick glance over his shoulder toward the truck. It was still stationary, but a good distance away. He ducked again and took a moment to evaluate what his next move would be. His chest was heaving in air. He was done thinking. His instincts took over once again. He silently counted to three and stood, still partially shielded by his car. He pointed his gun in the truck's direction, ready to take aim on anything that moved.

"This is Detective Danny Williams with Five-0! Identify yourself!"

Getting no answer and seeing no movement, he decided to venture closer. Intently focused on the truck, he rounded the back of his car and came to a staggering halt. With his car pointed at an angle, the periphery of the headlights gave limited illumination of the area. But aided by his flashlight, he saw what he had almost hit. It wasn't what, it was who. There was a body lying inanimately in the middle of the road. Recognition catapulted him into a delirium of shock.

_Steve._

_He had almost run over his best friend. He lay on the pavement unmoving... frightfully still. Was he even alive?_

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	3. Chapter 3

"Son of a bitch." The expletive fell out of his mouth.

Not lowering his weapon, he shifted his vision back and forth between the unknown threat of the truck and Steve. He crouched low and made his way to his partner. He didn't see any injuries... no blood, no distress. He was lying on his back with one arm across his midsection and the other stretched out to the side. Danny made it to his side and squatted beside him. He put his left middle finger to his mouth and bit on the tip of the glove and tugged it off. Continually checking on the truck, he placed a shaky hand to Steve's neck. It was there... a strong, healthy pulse.

After a relieved exhale, he dared to communicate with his motionless, supine friend in a whisper. "Steve? Steve, can you hear me?"

Still not relinquishing his prepared stance, he used his left hand to reach behind Steve's head to turn it toward him. That's when he felt the warm stickiness from a head wound.

A surreptitious figure that had been hidden in the shadows and darkness of the night, leaning against the far side of the tailgate, moved. The movement immediately revealed his presence. The offender quickly, but without a great degree of urgency, entered the driver's side of his truck. Danny carefully eased his hand out from under his partner. He stood upright and clasped his left hand over his right to steady his aim.

"Hey! ...Hey! Hold it right there!"

The miscreant expectantly disregarded the command. The lights on the back of the truck brightened as the brakes were applied and the vehicle was put into gear. Danny's mental composure battled with the physiological stress he had been enduring. He squeezed off two rounds as the truck sped away, seemingly unscathed. He ached to go after the guy. He couldn't let him get away with this. But it _had_ to wait. He would get him another way, another time. Steve needed him now.

Everything was quiet. The gunshot reverberations had dissipated. The spinning of the tires and roar of the truck's motor was long gone. Even the crashing sounds of the ocean were too far away to reach his ears. He holstered his gun and crouched down by his partner again.

"Steve? Come on, man. You alright? Can you wake up? Don't forget, you're my date for Grace's play debut tomorrow night. You can't stand me up now." Danny tried the lighthearted comment, more to ease his own anxieties.

Danny looked around at his surroundings as best as he could in the limited light the Camaro's headlights provided. The edge of the road couldn't be more than eight or ten feet away. Not knowing if he should try to move Steve out of the road and risk further injury or to wait for help, Danny opted to wait. If another motorist came by, his car's flashing lights would alert them well in advance of approach on this long stretch of road. Danny wiped his friend's blood from his fingertips onto his dress pants and then pulled out his phone with an unsteady hand and started to call Chin back, but he saw his partner stir before he could.

"Hey."

"Hey? What the heck, Steven?" Danny answered Steve's mumble using his words to camouflage his tone of concern.

Steve groaned at the headache that was pounding and moved his arms to leverage himself for an attempt to sit up.

"Hold on there, mister. Take it easy. We're going to get some help."

Steve relented to Danny's appeal and to the sudden discovery of the deep sharp pain in his upper arm when he moved it and relaxed where he was. He grabbed the aching arm with his other hand as he lolled on the pavement.

"Your arm?"

Steve nodded, "...yeah, but it'll be fine." He started to rise again getting over the predicament and realizing for the first time that he was smack in the middle of a road.

"Your head's hurting too, isn't it?"

"I'm... "

"...fine. I know."

Deciding to investigate the source of his unadmitted, thudding headache Steve moved his hand from his impaired arm to the back of his head and discovered what Danny had found, the cause of the pounding. A pained wince of realization spread across his face as he held his fingers in front of his eyes to see his own blood.

"Told ya." Danny had his phone to his ear, and feeling oddly satisfied, he completed the call he had begun.

Chin answered on the first ring. "Danny, you're on speaker. I've got Kono with me. We're getting close. What's going on?"

"I'm with Steve. He needs an ambulance. Can you use the car's GPS or my phone to find us?"

"Danny, come on. This is ridiculous." Steve tried to interject himself into the conversation from his one-sided perspective.

Danny shifted his weight in his squatted position from one leg to the other, using his knee as a brace for the arm holding the cell. With his other hand, he held up his index finger in a warning to Steve to not move and to give him a minute to talk to Chin uninterrupted.

After a slight pause, Chin responded, "Kono's on it." The phone clicked and the sound changed, letting Danny know he was not on speaker any longer so as to not interfere with the call Kono was making. "How's Steve? What happened?"

"It's a long story but I think he's going to be okay. Some jerkweed conked him on the head... knocked him out, then took off with him before dumping him in the middle of the road like yesterday's roadkill. Got a head injury and his arm is hurt. Not sure what else."

"Hey, we're here. We see you."

Danny saw the headlights coming his way and was thankful no other cars had come by. Danny ended the call.

"Steve, Chin and Kono are here. A bus will be here soon."

"Nope. Cancel that. I'm good." Steve used his good arm and pushed himself into a seated position. "How'd I get here? And I heard shots?" The statement came off as a question.

"Your 'disturbance' made an appearance. Dumped you here like a hot potato."

"Here, help me up." He raised his hand imploring Danny to stand and offer his assistance.

Danny stood and presented his hand but still stubbornly tendered his opinion at the same time, "I really think we need someone who knows what they're doing to check you out."

Steve accepted the help up and swayed slightly when he was finally on his feet. "Okay, but no ambulance. You can take me to get checked out."

To steady his partner, Danny reached for the elbow of the arm Steve has holding. Another wince revealed the pain of the touch and possible reason he relented so quickly in accepting medical attention, even if it wasn't by way of ambulance.

"Ouch, sorry... Okay. You sure?" Danny was empathetic but still unconvinced. They walked over to the car and they both leaned on it for support, shoulders touching, while they waited for their team members to join them. The contact would give Danny a slight timing advantage as he stayed ready to catch his partner if his equilibrium betrayed him.

"Roadkill? Really, Danno?"

Danny smiled. The familiar challenge reset his psyche. His concern eased, but some nagging self-condemnation still lingered. He recalled that he had failed his partner and he felt a sick feeling redevelop in his stomach. His musing would have to wait when Chin and Kono ran toward them.

"Steve!" Wide-eyed with concern, Chin and Kono, abruptly stopped in front of their ohana and were filled with relief over seeing Steve in as good condition as he was in. Chin slapped Danny on the back and questioned him before turning his attention back to his boss. "You okay?"

"Yeah, babe, I am _now_ ," Danny answered.

Kono finished giving Steve a gentle hug and pulled away to try to get a better look at him.

"Can someone please tell us what is going on here? Everything was quiet when we left the office." Chin was starting to get impatient.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Danny was trying to fill in the blanks himself. He took a couple of steps away from the support of his car, leaving his partner's balance in the hands of the new arrivals, and turned back to his team with arms raised in a perpetual shrug. Looking to Steve for help, "Can you remember _anything_?"

Holding his injured arm closely to his chest, Steve rubbed the back of his head in thought, being extra careful to avoid the tender, sticky wound that left him in a fog and off balance. "Well, uh, I was going room to room and I thought I heard something from the other side."

"So, you took off on your own to investigate... without letting me know. That's just great." Danny's frustration, though genuine, was hardily verbalized to veil his own personal misgivings.

Steve gave Danny that one sided look with a raised eyebrow. "I just acted, okay. We weren't wearing our PTT receivers and... for all I knew, _you_ could have been in trouble."

Danny rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. Chin broke in with a soft, calming voice wanting to gain control of the conversation before getting sidetracked. "Hold on, guys." He held up a hand toward Danny to ask for a minute, who rested his hands on his hips and turned away from the group in a stubborn show of acceptance of Chin's attempt at a truce. Chin then turned to Steve. "Go on. You went to investigate the noise. Do you remember what happened then?"

The blare of sirens disrupted the upcoming recollection. Danny turned back and informed Chin, "Oh yeah, control freak, here, wanted to cancel the bus. Wanted me to give him the ride."

"Well they're here now. You might as well let the medics check you over," Chin reasoned. "We can go over the details later."

"Fine." Steve was irritated by his partner's testy frame of mind _and_ the fact that he even needed medical attention but he knew he was outnumbered.

As the medics monopolized Steve's time with their ministrations, Chin informed Danny that he had been in touch with Lou and that he had arrived at the Shady Breeze and was securing the scene for further investigation. Likewise, Danny finally caught Chin and Kono up on the limited information he knew.

"So, you have no clue who this guy was? Did you get a look at him?" Chin fished for more answers.

"No." Danny quickly responded while putting his hands on his hips and shook his now lowered head. He tilted his head and looked away from those listening as if trying to remember something. "...well," changing his answer slightly, "maybe, I'm not sure..."

"What is it? Anything at all."

Deciding better of it, "No... it's nothing."

"The smallest detail could have a bearing," Chin encouraged.

"Well, I could tell he was smiling... smug SOB," Danny added under his breath. "I wouldn't be able to tell you what he looks like though."

Chin looked toward the area where the truck had been stopped and back to Danny. "You saw him _there_ or back at the motel?"

"There. Yeah, I guess he was getting off on the situation he put us in."

"Could you tell, was he local or haole? Was he heavy or thin, short or tall?"

"Everyone's tall to me, Chin. I don't know, maybe light skinned. It was dark. I couldn't tell."

"What about his truck? What can you tell us about it?"

"The color was dark. I couldn't tell if it was black or dark blue or maybe dark... Chevrolet." Danny recalled the bowtie insignia he had seen on the tailgate.

"Good, Danny, what else?"

"No plates, at least that I could see."

"Newer, older?"

"Not new... but not early model either." It felt good to Danny to be remembering as much as he was.

Getting the feeling there wasn't much more Danny could add, Chin decided to table the description inquires and go another direction. "And you say he called into HQ for Five-0 specifically?"

"That's what Captain Caveman, over there, said."

Chin pressed his lips together in thought, baffled by the events of the evening.

One of the paramedics walked over after finishing up with the head of the Five-0 team. "He's all yours. I couldn't talk him into a chauffeured ambulance ride, but he really should get that arm x-rayed and maybe a CT scan. You got a stubborn partner there."

"You're preaching to the choir, my friend," Danny agreed.

Danny joined Steve at the back of the ambulance. "Alright, you ready?"

"You're not going to argue about me not riding in the ambulance to the hospital?" Steve was genuinely shocked at the ease of his partner's acceptance.

"No. And you're not going to argue with _me_ about actually _going_ to the hospital?" He smiled at his partner, issuing the competitive challenge with his blue eyes sparkling in the artificial light.

"No."

"I win. I said I would take you, didn't I?" Danny reached for Steve's good arm to steady him in the walk to the car.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you so you don't plant your face in the gravel, you schmuck."

Steve could tell Danny's mood had lightened... leave it to Chin. He smiled to himself.

"I can walk by myself, Danny."

"Fine... wonderful. Let's go then." Danny left his partner on his own and was met half way to his car by Chin who had just finished a call and was putting his phone in his back, hip pocket. Chin pointed at Steve who was following behind Danny.

"He okay on his own?"

"Oh, he's fine, never better." Danny didn't stop as he passed Chin by and opened his car door, finally looking back to check on his partner's progress.

Steve had made it to Chin now and paused. "We're going to go get a couple of tests run... no big deal."

Chin turned to face Danny. "Hey, brah, how 'bout I give Steve the ride? I just got off the phone with Lou and the investigation unit is at the Shady Breeze. They could probably use your help to sort out what happened. Kono can ride over with you. It's too dark here anyway. We'll need to come back tomorrow to finish."

Steve turned to his partner. "Sounds like a good idea, buddy, while it's still fresh."

Danny was resting his arm on the open door and turned his hand palm up. "Fine with me, if you're good with it. Don't let him weasel out of it, Chin."

Chin smiled. "This time, I think I have the advantage. I should be able to manage."

"'kay. Hey, Kono!" Danny yelled to get her attention. She had been investigating the area where the truck had stopped, shining her flashlight on the ground to see if anything had inadvertently been left behind. She looked up and headed over at Danny's beaconing arm gesture.

Steve went ahead and gingerly climbed into the unusual position of the passenger seat of the Mustang. Kono arrived at the Camaro where Danny and Chin still stood.

Chin informed her of their intentions. "I'm going to take Steve to have his arm and head checked out." Danny lifted his eyebrows and took a breath. Chin abruptly held up his index finger to Danny. "No remarks from the peanut gallery, please." Danny huffed in derision. "You and Danny are going to go back to the motel and see if Danny can help the team there figure any of this mess out. We'll check this place out tomorrow in the daylight."

"Copy that." She nodded in acceptance and headed to the other side of Danny's car.

Before taking the helm behind the wheel of his car, Danny went to the far side of Chin's car and bent down to look Steve face to face. "D'you miss this?" He pulled Steve's gun from behind him. Steve instinctively reached to his thigh holster and found it to be empty. It bothered him that he had not noticed that it was gone. He quickly dismissed the oversight as a side-effect of the head injury. He reached up and took the weapon and secured it in its rightful place. Danny warmly smiled at his partner. It was like he was giving Charlie back his security blanket. "Don't give the nurses a hard time, would ya? See you soon."

Steve eked out a mocking grin and nodded his acknowledgement.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	4. Chapter 4

The vehicles left the area where Steve had been dumped on the road, both headed in the same direction but for different destinations. Danny's car pulled off the road when they arrived at the abandoned shell of a building. Chin's Mustang kept going, bound for the city. Lou's black SUV and a white HPD Crime Scene Unit van were parked where Danny's Camaro had been earlier that evening. He pulled in beside the vehicles and saw Lou walking towards them as they were getting out.

"Hey guys, how's McGarrett?"

"Just a little banged up but I think he'll be fine... man of steel and all," Danny quipped.

Kono added, "Chin's taking him to Queen's to run some tests, see if anything's broken or what not. What have you got here? Find anything?"

"Good to hear he's alright. CSU just got started, so nothing yet. But come on... I'll show you where we're at." Lou waved his hand in the direction of the lights on the other side of the building. Danny and Kono followed Lou toward the place Danny had been not long before. Familiarity caused a pang of unease to ripple through him.

Lou and the CSU had found the candlelit room and were concentrating their investigation where the attack against Steve must have occurred. Danny and Kono let Lou lead the way as they entered the room. High wattage halide light carts, running off generator power, brightly lit the once dim area. A pair of technicians had just begun to diligently process the scene for evidence.

Lou approached one of the techs that was coveting his attention and spoke in an indiscernible volume as Danny rested his thumbs in his belt at his sides as he pivoted 180 degrees and then back again to absorb the room's atmosphere in a way he couldn't before. It didn't feel like the same place. The brightness took away the eeriness. Kono looked at him intently noticing he was not his loquacious self. She went up to him and placed a hand on his arm. "Everything okay, boss?"

A slight grin crossed his face with the intent of easing Kono's concerns and disguising his internal struggling. "Uh, yeah. Just wish I could've caught that bastard." He offered _something_ to conceal his true turmoil.

Kono was more perspicacious than that. "You know, it wasn't your fault. Steve chose the divide and conquer strategy. It was absolutely feasible for the situation."

"Yeah. You're right." He kept his comments uncharacteristically succinct, believing the best strategy to alleviate the awkwardness he felt was to pander to her. She, in truth, had not convinced Danny at all, so he immersed himself with what made him comfortable, the investigation.

After a few moments of studying the scene, he left the tedious work to the technicians and exited the room without a word to Lou or Kono. Once outside, he took advantage of the solitude to revisit his thoughts that he had started in the car chase. In his mind, he started at the beginning, recalling as much detail as would come to him. The notion that had revealed itself to him earlier that evening reemerged.

Kono came out of the room looking for Danny, just in time to see him walking away. She could tell something was still eating at him and thought she should probably follow him to see where he was going. He headed toward the breezeway.

"Danny?" Kono ventured.

There was no response, verbal or gestured. Deciding to forego a more audible hail, she picked up her pace and then jogged in the direction he had gone. His determined demeanor made it obvious to her that he had something on his mind. He had made the turn around the corner and out of her sight. As she rounded the corner she saw Danny headed up the nearest stairway. He had his flashlight on since this side of the building was not lit by the generated spotlights. She caught up to him as he passed several doors and stopped intentionally at a specific room.

"Danny?" She tried again.

This time Danny looked up to see Kono had joined him. His eyes glimmered in the glow of her flashlight. They each were very careful not to shine their beams directly in each other's eyes.

"Hey, Kono. I remembered something from earlier," feeling he needed to give an explanation of his quick retreat from the dedicated investigation area.

Kono's curiosity was stirred. She raised her eyebrows as a request for more information. "Go on..."

Danny put his left hand on the doorknob and shook his right finger toward the door. "I saw something in here as I was clearing this floor, and I'm not talking about the mouse." He turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Half expecting Kono to squeal or snarl her nose at the thought of a mouse running loose in this room, he was disappointed he didn't get that amusement. He should have known better. There wasn't much that scared or bothered her.

Danny led the way in and immediately saw what he was looking for. The partially burned candle was there. He confirmed that it appeared to be the same as the one in the room currently under investigation. "See, same candle." But it was the contents of the discarded food bag that he was interested in. He pulled a pair of black latex gloves out of his pocket and put them on as he approached the trash.

Kono crouched down at the candle to take a closer look. She agreed it seemed to be the same type. "Looks like we've found our secondary evidentiary location. We'll get CSU over here next."

"Mm hm." Danny's full attention was distracted as he carefully inspected the contents of the bag. He snarled up his nose in disgust. "Well, not a lot left." A very stale piece of hamburger bun was still in a Styrofoam container in the bottom. "We're lucky. Mickey didn't get it. He must not like Styrofoam."

She nodded in understanding. "Do they still use that stuff?"

"Guess some places do. At least it protected our evidence this time. Looks fairly recent. We need to get this to the lab for a possible DNA sample to run through CODIS. Maybe we'll find out who this son of a bitch is."

"Let's hope so." Kono was just as eager to find answers as Danny. She secured the trash in an evidence bag and went to let Lou in on what they had found.

Before CSU came to begin processing their new location, Danny did a cursory check of the room. He illuminated the floor, walls, and corners as best as possible looking for any other significant markings or items that may have been left by their perp. Having not found anything obvious, he left soon after Kono and made his way back to the far side of the building.

Danny glanced to the activity to his left then continued walking toward the pool area. He neared what looked to be an enclosure for concealing trash. It was also made of the same material as the upper floor railings, deteriorating, perforated concrete blocks. It was only about the height of an average trash bin so he was able to comfortably lean on it with his hands facing outward as he overlooked the space that once would have been an inviting swimming pool but now was a dark, gaping hole in jagged, broken concrete. In a nervous habit, he tapped his middle finger on the wall as he thought. An unsolicited inkling tugged at him.

He relinquished the support and stood upright, placing his hands on his hips. He took another quick look over to the lighted area where the investigation was centered. He was still the only one out here. The wind had calmed slightly but the drone of the ocean was undeviatingly resolute.

He huffed a breath as he involuntarily bent slightly at the waist with the expulsion of air to fuel his gumption and then conceded to his hunch. _Daniel James Williams, this is crazy._ His reasoning did not win out over his feeling. He stepped through the chain link gate of the fence surrounding the pool, the broken and rusty hinge squeaking in protest. He raised his flashlight to a higher angle as he neared the pool. His breaths were inexplicably coming quicker and were audible to his own ears. He systematically shined his light onto each square foot of the hollow. The incline of the bottom had created an accumulation of dark, algae covered rain water in one end. When his light made it to the other end, he saw what he didn't want to find.

Bitter bile rose in the back of his throat and he quickly turned and leaned over in case the contents of his stomach decided to make an appearance. He was able gain his composure and nothing came up. He slowly stood and turned and illuminated the spot again. This time, he crouched down and rubbed his forehead with his thumb and fingers, massaging his brain, trying to will his eyes to not see what they were seeing. The attempt was futile.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	5. Chapter 5

Danny dropped his head just for a moment, realizing the evening was just getting worse instead of better. He blew out a lungful of air trying to rid himself of the apprehension he had been holding in and then stood. Turning back toward the active investigation site, he yelled out, "Hey, Kono… Lou, over here!"

His team members had heard him. He saw that they were on their way over. He bent down and put his hand on the edge of the pool for a brace and jumped into the dry, shallow end of the opening. Lying at his feet was the body of a young woman.

Normally, the sight of a body didn't elicit the initial reaction he had just experienced, but the combination of his nagging guilt, the unexpected find, the late hour and subsequent fatigue, and the injustice of the youth and vitality stolen from this victim made him sick to his stomach.

"Danny, what is it? What are you doing there?" Kono was asking as they approached, yet to see what Danny had discovered. They shined their lights on Danny first and saw him gesture his arm toward the body.

"Well crap, Williams, this ain't good. I think our case just got a shitload more complicated." Lou voiced his distaste for the direction the evening was heading.

Kono hopped in to join Danny and get a closer look. "How did you find her? What brought you out here?"

"Not sure, just a feeling."

"She can't be more than what, twenty, twenty-one?"

"Uh, yeah." Still a little shook up, Danny rubbed the back of his head. "We need to get the ME out here right away. I'm gonna call Chin and see how they're doing and let 'em know what we found."

"Copy, I'll call HPD and Noelani," Kono offered.

Lou reached down and held his hand out and assisted Kono up and then Danny. "I'll let CSU know they may need to call in and get some more help on this one," he suggested. "And then, I'm going to call Renee to tell her to not wait up."

"Thanks, Lou. Sorry about this, man," Danny replied as they walked toward the lighted area together.

"Hey, it's not your fault there are psycho lunatics sharing the same air with us."

Even given the situation, Danny had to smile a little at that. He wondered if his cynicism was rubbing off a little on Lou or if the ample supply of negativity was the unavoidable consequence of years in the profession. "Yep, and that's why we're here, right?"

Danny split from the group, yet again, and walked to the Camaro so he could be there to greet Noelani when she arrived. He leaned against the front of the car and took out his phone to make his call.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Steve was able to walk out of the emergency room on his own. He and Chin were on their way to his car when Chin's cell rang. "Danny, how's it going there?"

"Not so great. How's Super SEAL?"

Chin smiled. "Here, you can ask him yourself." He handed his phone over to Steve as they reached the car. Steve took the phone with his left hand as his right was in a sling. He leaned back against the Mustang and Chin rested his hand on the top of the car, facing Steve, eager to hear how things were going for the rest of the team.

"Hey, Danny."

"Well, let's have it… what's the verdict? You going to make it?"

"Yeah, I've got a busted arm and I'm gonna have a killer headache, but I'll make it."

"No concussion?"

"Maybe a minor one. Just need to take it a bit easier than usual."

Danny was incredulous and laughed at the statement. "Yeah, that'll happen when I order pineapple on my pie. Are you still at the hospital?"

"Just walked out. We're in the parking lot now. Where're you?"

"Well, I'm still at the crap place you forced me to go to."

"I didn't force you to go anywhere. You wanted to go."

"Um, you and I remember this evening quite a bit differently, babe. Are you sure they should let you out yet? That head injury has affected your memory."

"Just tell me what's going on there." Steve was getting antsy for information.

"Well, things here have gone from crap to worse than crap fast. We're working it as a homicide scene now."

"What?!" Steve was rattled by what he was hearing.

Chin heard Steve's surprise and noticed the obvious change and reacted by furrowing his brow in question.

"Hang on, Danny. I'm going to put you on speaker." Steve awkwardly put the call on speaker using his non-dominant hand and held the phone so both men could hear. "Okay, Chin's here. Tell us what's going on."

"CSU is still processing the scene, but a body was found in the bottom of the pool."

Steve huffed at the unwanted news. "Okay. Do we know who the vic is?"

"Not yet, young female. Noelani's on her way. Maybe we'll learn more then."

"Okay, you think this and our call tonight were related?"

"I absolutely think they're related. For some bizarre reason, this guy is wanting us involved."

"Alright, we're on our way." Steve had lots more questions. He hated that he had missed out on so much. But he decided to wait until he could talk to his team in person.

Danny hung up from Steve and didn't notice one of the cars that drove by the scene was going especially slow, taking in the progress. It was a dark gray Chevy Colorado.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Steve and Chin pulled up at the site and saw a flurry of activity. The place had now become a murder scene and HPD vehicles, officers, lights, and yellow tape abounded. They found Lou first.

"Good to see you, McGarrett. See the Superman title still fits."

Steve smiled. "Well, almost." He lifted the arm in the sling to bring attention to his 'weakness'.

A little more seriously, Lou added, "Really, man, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. What've we got here, Lou?"

"Well, Williams found a body in the pool. Young woman, we think in her early twenties."

"Danny did?" Steve realized Danny had left that detail out in their earlier conversation. "Where is he?"

"He's over with Noelani, where they found her."

Steve started walking in that direction and Lou and Chin followed.

Noelani was coordinating the removal of the body. Pictures had already been taken and evidence gathered. The Medical Examiner's department had secured the deceased female to a gurney in a thick black body bag and they would be ready for the transport soon.

"You've got to be kidding me. What the hell is going on?" Although knowing what to expect, Steve still vented his frustration as they joined Danny and Kono at the gate to the pool surround.

Danny had heard Steve's comments and approached them. He leaned his elbow on the fence and with his other arm he gestured toward the busy preparations, nonchalantly addressing Steve's rhetorical question. "Well… let's see… we've got a body. There's a murderer on the loose. This said murderer tried to make a pancake out of you. We're going to have to inform a parent their daughter is dead. I'm tired and I missed the Jets game." He had gotten going, pausing between each point. He was no longer leaning on the fence but fully using both of his hands to emphasize his exasperation.

"Testy, aren't we?" Steve observed.

"Little bit." Danny was winding down. Changing the subject, "Won't be doing any MMA anytime soon I see," pointing to Steve's sling. "How's your hard head?"

"Hard… it's fine."

Danny lifted his chin and nodded expecting the customary answer.

"Noelani, you got a COD or TOD?" Steve spoke up so she could hear him.

She was pulling off her gloves as she walked up to the group. "Cause of death appears to be asphyxiation and I'm putting time of death probably sometime between two and four o'clock this afternoon."

"Any promising evidence?" Chin was hopeful.

"Not yet. But we've got a lot to do back at the lab. We're hoping that turns up more."

"Well how's the investigation going back here?" Steve asked, pointing toward the motel and directing the question toward Danny.

"The two rooms are pretty much complete. HPD is securing the rest for the night and they'll start door to door on the other rooms tomorrow."

"Two rooms?"

Danny, Lou, and Kono briefly informed Steve and Chin of their findings so far. They told them of the other room with the similar candle and the potential DNA evidence from the trash bag.

Earlier that evening, Steve had told Chin about what he remembered before being knocked out, but now he went over his recollections for the other team members to help fill in the blanks. They learned that while investigating the noise he had heard, he had found the "candle room", as it had come to be known, to be empty. They found out the attacker had not been inside the room waiting, but had followed Steve in from the outside. Unfortunately, he had not seen, nor heard his attacker speak, before losing consciousness, so he would not be able to help in an identification.

As Steve spoke, Danny covered his mouth trying to hide a long yawn.

"Am I keeping you up?"

Danny finished his yawn just shaking his head. "Nope, nope, continue," moving his hand in a circle.

Steve could take a hint. "You know what? HPD's got the scene secured. Why don't we let the MEs and CSU finish what they're doing and let's go get some shut-eye? We'll need to get started again in the morning."

"You don't have to ask me twice," Danny quickly offered. The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Danny tauntingly dangled his keys in Steve's face, "Guess you're shotgun." He smiled. "You ready to go?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Enjoy it while you can, buddy."

They all left, fully aware of the time and work looming ahead of them but not necessarily the scope of where this case would take them.

* * *

 

_~to be continued~_


	6. Chapter 6

"Colleen Herndon." Kono stated as she typed onto the smart table and transferred an image to the large screen. The vibrant soul on the North Carolina driver's license photograph was in direct contrast to the lifeless body they had seen the evening before.

Danny squinted his eyes and turned up one side of his frown in disgust at the injustice. He couldn't help but think of his kids, and especially Grace, who wasn't that much younger than the victim.

"She was a sophomore, a criminal justice major, at Chaminade," Kono continued.

"Criminal justice?" Lou raised his eyebrows at the coincidence.

"Yes. She was originally from Asheville, North Carolina. Had designs for a career in law enforcement."

"She wanted to be a cop?" Steve asked.

"A computer forensics investigator, actually."

"What about her parents?" Danny wondered.

"Still in North Carolina. They were notified this morning," Kono informed the group.

It was still early in Hawaii. It would have been late morning in North Carolina when the Herndons got the devastating news that would change their lives forever.

Everyone, except for Chin, had arrived at the Palace at sunrise to work on their new case that had become very personal to them the instant the not-so-wise perp decided to hurt one of their own. Chin had started his day at the location where Danny had found Steve in the road. He coordinated the crime scene unit as they began their work, this time with the welcome addition of daylight. Tire imprints could not be casted because of the gravel on the side of the road where Danny had seen the truck. However, there was an obvious disturbance of the rocks indicating spinning tires in a fast exit from the scene. Several small, seemingly insignificant items were found and cataloged into evidence but were most assuredly just an accumulation of litter over weeks, months, or even years.

On his way back to headquarters, Chin stopped by the crime scene at the motel to see if anything else had been found to help the investigation. Discouraged over the lack of promising evidence at the previous site, his hopes were revived when Steve's phone had been found on the ground at the north side of the building. This was the place Danny had described as where he saw the truck leave, and was probably where Steve was loaded onto the truck. The phone had been placed into evidence to test for prints, just in case.

Later, Chin joined his team at the headquarters to share the update. "You'll get your phone back as soon as the lab is done with it. CSU also collected an empty spray paint can, some scraps of wadded up tape, cigarette butts, an empty water bottle, and assorted other trash. Not hopeful for much. Any word from Noelani on the autopsy?"

"Yeah, she just called before you got here. Danny and I are headed over there now." Steve seemed somewhat distracted.

"Where is Danny, by the way?" Chin inquired.

"He's..." Steve turned toward where he thought Danny was standing and at not seeing him, began to look around for his partner. Kono informed them that Danny had gotten a call and was in his office for privacy.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Chin relayed his concern at seeing the grimace on Steve's face.

"Yeah, just a little bit of a headache."

"You and Danny still going to Grace's debut tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Aren't you going?"

"I figured Kono and I would keep working on this case. Lou and his family will be there for Will, of course."

Danny walked out of his office and overheard the conversation. "You can't miss it, Chin. We're just waiting for results now anyway. It'll all be here in the morning. Right, Steve?"

"Yeah, Chin, you need to go. Can't let Grace down," Steve agreed.

Chin smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll try."

"Good, that's settled." Danny brushed off the conversation wondering why it was even an issue. He turned toward Steve. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"Commander, how are you feeling?"

"Better, Noelani. Thanks."

"Don't let him fool you. His arm and head are killing him." Danny flicked his hand in Steve's direction as he felt compelled to give his unsolicited opinion.

Steve pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes at Danny in frustration. "I think I know how I'm doing. She didn't need your input."

"So, your head and arm _aren't_ hurting?" Danny raised his brow and tilted his head to see if he would actually get a response.

Avoiding the question and turning back to Noelani, "Sorry, Noelani, just ignore him. Have you got any more information for us?"

Smiling, in acceptance of the well-known interaction between the partners, she led the men into her lab and partially uncovered the body. "Well, as you can see, the bruising at the throat indicates strangulation caused the asphyxiation. There are no individual finger marks, so I think something was wrapped around her neck."

"Like a rope?" Steve asked.

"No, there are no fibers from a rope and no thin striations. It appears whatever was used may have been larger, maybe rolled up fabric or something along those lines." She then uncovered one arm of the victim. "Also, even though she wasn't found restrained, there are indications of ligature marks on her wrists. I believe some kind of tape was used because there was adhesive residue on her skin."

Danny shifted his weight on his feet. The recollection of the previous evening threatened to expose his discomfort, so therefore, he felt a need to be preemptive in his own kind of way. "Can I just say, thank you for talking to us so Steve can understand. Max made it very difficult for him with some of the scientific gobbledygook he'd spew." Once again Steve gave him a twisted one-sided frown, slowly shaking his head in disapproval while Danny lifted his eyebrows and smiled at his partner.

Ignoring the comment, except for a smile, Noelani pushed her glasses up on her nose and continued. "Also, she was dehydrated and appeared to be somewhat malnourished."

"So, she may have been held for a while before she was killed," Danny reasoned.

"Any signs of sexual assault?" Steve questioned.

"No. No other bruising, lacerations, or trauma either."

"If her body had been put into that pool after death, wouldn't she have markings from that?" Danny inquired.

"Yes, very good, Detective. He was either very careful with the body or, more likely, she was alive when she entered the pool and killed in that spot."

"Alright. Thanks, Noelani." Steve had no further questions and was eager to leave.

"Of course. If I can assist with anything else, let me know."

The two men were making their way down the sidewalk to the car. Even with Danny's hands in his pockets, it was not preventing him from a slight twist of his torso as he walked. Steve had an unintended scowl and neither were talking as both were deep in thought. The silence was interrupted when Danny's phone rang. They both stopped as Danny pulled out his phone and looked at the screen.

"It's Chin," he informed Steve. "Hey Chin, what'cha got?" Taking a moment to listen, Danny then sighed and rubbed his forehead with two of his fingers. "He's what?!" Danny's free hand had suddenly become very animated. Steve stood by in anticipation of what was being reported. He widened his stance and wrapped his good arm over the one immobilized in the sling. "Alright, alright, what about the phone? ... Figures ... Okay, I'll relay all this to Steve. Thanks, Chin.

"Well, good news is you can have your phone back. Your prints were the only ones found... no other prints, no nothing, just a few extra scratches. They think the perp never touched it. Probably fell out of your pocket onto the ground when the guy was getting you into the truck."

"What was all that other stuff? What's the bad news?"

"You know that bag of trash we were hoping to get some DNA off of?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, so?"

"Well, they got a match."

"That's great! That's great, right?" Steve was not understanding Danny's irritability. "So, who is it? Let's go get the guy."

"We can't."

"Danny, spit it out. Why can't we?" Steve was slicing through the air with his free hand now, characteristic of his partner, impatiently trying to encourage his own enlightenment.

"He's dead." Danny stated matter-of-factly.

"What?!"

"You know, deceased, expired, bought the farm, pushing up..."

"You know what I mean!" Exasperated, Steve interrupted the remainder of Danny's tirade.

"The homicide HPD was working on...?"

"The John Doe? Yeah, sure," the realization slowly hitting Steve.

"Yep. It was the vic's DNA. We're going to have to start digging on that one again, now that we've got a new angle."

Steve look bumfuzzled and was silent as he was still processing the new information.

Danny, however, was very voluble in his summary, "So, let's see, _that_ body was found, what... eight days ago? He had recently been at that dilapidated motel, probably squatting, in the _same_ place, in the middle of nowhere, that our second victim was found."

"Second victim? Whoa, Danny, come on." Steve held out his hand to curb the course of the conversation.

"Pretty big coincidence, don't you think? I hate to say it, but..."

"But, don't say it. We don't have enough facts yet."

"Okay, well, _you_ may not want to admit it, Steven, but I'm afraid we may have a serial killer on our hands." Danny tilted his head to the side and grinned at his partner, delighting in his expression. He started walking again toward the car, his movement spurring Steve to follow.

"It's too soon." Steve spoke to Danny's back as they were walking, knowing he was listening. "And John Doe wasn't killed by strangulation. It was a blunt force blow to the head."

Danny stopped and turned around. "Kinda like the guy _tried_ on you, huh? You said yourself, you had a hard head. He tried and failed."

"But..."

Danny didn't give him a platform to make his case. "He didn't expect that thick head of yours so he tried something else, death by squashing."

"This is ridiculous."

"My point is, serial killers don't always use the same method to murder their victims. Actually, it's more common than you think."

"Is that so?"

Danny tweaked the slightest nod as he turned back and resumed walking toward the car. Steve stood stationary a moment longer to let it sink in. _Was he almost a victim of a serial killer?_ He shook his head as if to clear it of the thought Danny had planted and decided his partner _had_ to be wrong. He started walking again. _It was too soon for that conclusion._

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Takes place before Rachel/Stan divorce

* * *

Even though it normally took more strides for Danny to match Steve's long ones, he was outpacing Steve and the distance between them was growing at each step. He reached the front steps of the school several seconds ahead of Steve and decided to pause and turn to see what was taking his best friend so long. The parking lot had been full and they had to park quite a distance away. The full lot and only a few stragglers going in told Danny they were running much later than he had hoped. Rachel was supposed to be saving seats for them but he didn't want to miss a minute of Grace's debut in her school play.

"I'm coming." Steve could see the exasperated look on Danny's face and felt he needed to, at least, attempt to assuage his anxiety.

"We're going to be late." Danny had started back up the steps again. Steve was just going to have to catch up with him. Danny transferred a modest bouquet of orchids from his right hand to his left to push the door open. Upon entering the vestibule, barely through the exterior doors, a man was oddly standing in his path. In his haste, Danny stopped just short of running into him. He looked up at him and smiled. "Oh, sorry 'bout that buddy, excuse me." He placed his hand on the man's arm as he quickly skirted around him and found his way to the auditorium.

On Danny's heels, Steve witnessed the brief interaction and felt it strange that the man continued to stare after Danny. Steve made a point of speaking to the man who had to turn back toward Steve. Unlike his partner, Steve stood eye to eye with the man. "Hey, how's it going there?" Steve greeted the man, trying to get a vibe or impression.

"Okay?" was the man's understated and somewhat confused sounding response.

Not willing to yield yet, and purposefully trying to sound only moderately sociable, he added, "You got someone in the performance?"

The annoyed man shifted nervously and opened his mouth to speak. Steve raised his brow and inclined his head to receive his response.

"'ey, Steve! Come on, would 'ya?"

Steve turned his head to see Danny holding the door to the auditorium, waiting for him. He turned back toward the man, only to see him walking away in the other direction, weaving between the people in the crowd that were trying to make their way in before the show started. Steve wanted to go after him, but he looked back to Danny and assessed that he was about to have a conniption fit. With one last look in the man's direction and not seeing him at all this time, Steve followed Danny to the seats that were being held for them.

Rachel, Stan, Chin, and Kono were already there, seated together. Rachel handed Danny an extra copy of the playbill with an off-putting smirk, irritated at her ex-husband's late arrival. Danny reacted with a syrupy sweet, sarcastic smile and 'thank you'.

Lou and his family were seated nearby, excited to see Will's small part also. Renee leaned over and waved at the men as they worked their way by knees and purses to get to their seats. With perfect timing, the lights faded to black as they sat down.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"Danno, stop... too... tight. You're going to smash my flowers." Danny released his bearhug on his daughter but didn't relinquish his hold on her shoulders. He pulled away to give her the biggest, proudest, beaming smile. Danny had patiently waited for his turn after Rachel and Stan had given their hugs and offered their praises and congratulations.

"Do I have the most talented daughter or what?"

"You absolutely do." Steve smiled and leaned in to give Grace a small, one-armed hug and peck on her cheek forcing Danny to give up his possessive position. The other members of their ohana took turns in congratulating her as well.

"Ah, Miss Williams, extraordinary performance." The assistant principal approached from behind Grace which required her to turn away from her family to see who was offering their accolades.

"Oh, uh, thank you, Mr. Richards." Grace's response was monotonous and dry.

Danny continued to beam but felt a bit of agitation at Grace's aloof greeting.

"Monk... I mean Grace, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Grace's demeanor had changed from glee to reserved. She dropped her chin and made the introduction. "Oh, yeah... yes, sorry. This is Mr. Richards, our assistant principal. Mr. Richards, this is my father, Detective Daniel Williams."

The two men shook hands as Mr. Richards smugly issued his greeting, "Mr. Williams, nice to meet you." Danny stole a quick glance back to Grace with narrowed, questioning eyes.

Danny began to get clued into why Grace reacted as she did and it started to irritate him as well. His personality decided for him to be difficult. "Detective, it's Detective Williams."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, of course. I hope you enjoyed the show?"

Chin, Kono, and Steve looked at each other feeling their teammate's agitation that had transferred from his daughter to him. "I did... very much. Thank you." Danny's truncated reply was intended to cease the discomfort as soon as possible.

"Well then, I have others I need to greet. Good to meet you... Detective." He smiled and nodded at Rachel and then Stan before leaving. "Mrs. Edwards... Mr. Edwards."

"You too." Danny mumbled as the administrator left their presence.

"Slick, partner."

"Did you not feel the scumminess radiating off that schmoe?"

"What're you talking about...? ...Danny? ...Danny?"

Danny's attention had been diverted and he was no longer a participant in the conversation. His eyes were fixed on a mark past Steve's shoulder. Steve turned to see what his partner was focused on. When he didn't see anything unusual, he turned back but his partner had already slipped past him.

"I'll be right back," Danny muttered in passing without looking at Steve or any of the others. He maintained his visual hold on the object of his preoccupation.

Steve shrugged at Chin and Kono and held up a finger to Grace. "Be right back, sweetie." Grace smiled her acknowledgement and went back to conversing with her family and friends. By the time Steve took after him, Danny had already pushed through much of the crowd and was halfway down the corridor. He disappeared through a door to the right and Steve followed after him. Steve pushed open the clanking, heavy metal door, housing a thin vertical window, to find he was in a stairwell and his partner was nowhere to be seen. He needed to make a decision, go up or down. _Where was Danny going?_

Then he heard his partner's familiar voice yell out, "Hey! Wait up!". It was coming from downstairs. Steve utilized the handrail on his descent, still compensating for any residual effects of his recent injuries.

One floor down was the basement. Steve was pleased that he didn't have another option and went through the only door available to him. He looked to his left first and then to his right. The lower level hallway was empty, unlike the bustling activity one floor above.

"Danny?!"

"Over here!"

Steve took off to the right accelerating his pace as he went. He still did not see Danny but was sure this was the direction from which his voice came.

The double doors at the end of the hall were propped open. The large room was darkened but ever-glowing safety lights, high on the walls, gave enough illumination to see he had entered a dining hall filled with large round tables. Chairs had been stacked on top of the tables to allow for the cleaning of the floor. Steve could smell the remnants of an ammonia type odor still lingering in the air. He stopped when he saw his partner walking toward him from a brightly lit room and could see Danny was coming from the kitchen. His hands were in his pockets and he was looking at the floor.

"Well? What's going on?" Even though his own heartrate was slightly elevated, Steve didn't sense any alarm or urgency from his partner.

"I, uh..." He took one hand from his pocket and turned it up, twisting it and his body back toward the kitchen.

"Everything okay?" Steve impatiently added before Danny could explain.

"Yep. Well, I guess. I saw someone that I thought I recognized."

Steve's brow wrinkled in confusion. He looked past Danny this time and started to pass Danny by to investigate the kitchen and this 'someone' for himself. As he determinedly walked that way, he asked, "Who was it?"

"Couldn't tell you."

"But... you recognized him? Or was it her?"

"Oh, it was a him. And, yes, I recognized him but I can't place where."

Steve paused for a moment before reaching the kitchen door and looked back at Danny, puzzled.

"Go ahead. Do your thing." Danny waved his hand a few swipes in the air toward the kitchen door, knowing his partner wouldn't be stopped until he checked it out for himself. "He's gone, though."

Steve entered the kitchen and saw the back door was slightly ajar. It had not latched when the weight of the door failed to fully shut it when swinging back on its hinges. He went ahead and pushed it open to look out. Night had fallen outside while they were in the play, but there were plenty of bright lights illuminating the parking lot at night for safety. There were cars pulling out, but he did not see anyone or anything unusual.

"There you guys are." Kono entered the dining area ahead of Chin as Steve and Danny were on their way out.

"Everything okay?" Chin asked, wondering why his teammates had abruptly left and ended up here, away from the festive atmosphere upstairs.

"Danny thought he..." Steve started.

Danny interrupted him, "Yeah, Chin, everything's fine. Come on, let's get back upstairs and see Grace before she leaves."

"She was asking about you, brah. We told her we'd go find you."

"Well, let's not leave my star waiting."

Steve went along with Danny's dismissal in front of the cousins, but eyed him suspiciously when they turned and led the way back upstairs.

Danny met Steve's eyes for the briefest of moments and knew there would be an explanation in his future.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	8. Chapter 8

"There it is. I wondered when this would be coming."

"I just don't get it, Danny. You ran off after... _somebody_ , last night. You didn't bother to let anyone know _where_ you were going. Then you shut Chin down when he tried to ask about it. You didn't speak one word about it on the way home."

Danny moved his right hand on the steering wheel to the twelve o'clock position and gripped it tighter. Pursing his lips and locking his jaw, he just nodded. He nodded to himself in affirmation that he didn't like where this conversation was going.

"What? Why are you shutting us out?" Steve would not relent.

"So, I chose not to share! That's my prerogative. Is it not?" Danny kept his eyes on the road and would not even glance over to Steve. A few moments of silence lingered, followed by a long sigh from Steve to replace the unspoken words between them.

"Was it the guy you ran into going into the school?"

"What?"

"You know. When you were racing inside, you ran into a guy. You didn't stick around to make his acquaintance, but then he looked at you funny. Was it that guy?"

"What are you even talking about?" Danny's eyes narrowed.

"Don't you remember? The guy... you know?"

"No, I don't know."

"I stopped and spoke to him. He seemed nervous."

"You'd make anyone nervous and if I ran into a guy last night, it was not the same one I saw later. I would have known."

Steve turned his head and stared out the window, believing his partner meant what he said but not trusting that it was actually true.

"Okay, so let's say it wasn't the same guy..." Steve ventured.

"It wasn't."

"Alright, let's say it wasn't."

Danny rolled his eyes and what could only be described as anger started to smolder within him.

"What's making you so intrigued by him?" Steve wondered.

"There was just something screwy about him. I don't know! I mean, why would he flee, go down to the basement, where there was not another soul, by the way, ignore me calling after him, and take off out the back door like a bat outta hell? I'm telling you, Steven, the guy was up to no good!"

"Okay." Steve softly accepted.

"Okay." Danny finally felt somewhat understood, hoping the unwelcome conversation had ended there. Another hopeful silent moment endeavored to persist but was thwarted when Steve decided to not let it drop.

"Can you get us a description? Maybe get an artist to do a composite?"

Danny took a deep breath and then huffed, clearly agitated that Steve would not let it rest. "I don't know, maybe, but it was more of a feeling than a physical recognition. We can give it a try though." Danny's singsong tone was dismissive and put off.

Not to be drawn in by Danny's negative disposition, Steve continued. "Good. We can run it through facial rec and see if we can figure out who it is."

"But first, let's concentrate on catching this other idiot. Can we?"

"You got it, partner." Steve plastered a satisfied grin on his face. He was purposefully cheerful, reacting in contrast to Danny's mood. In Steve's mind, he would accomplish one of two outcomes; Danny would realize he was acting like a child and join him in a positive attitude or Steve would get to be entertained further by Danny's persistent negativism. Either outcome would be a victory.

As it turned out, Steve's infallible plan turned out to be not so foolproof after all. He hadn't planned on Danny's mood rubbing off on him.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

As they walked into the bullpen, Chin was in his office and Kono and Lou were at the smart table. Danny entered first, strides ahead of Steve, much like the previous evening. He made a beeline for his office without greeting any of his other teammates. Kono and Lou gave each other a puzzled look. Chin had looked up from his laptop just in time to witness the odd behavior. He got up from his desk and reached his door at about the same time Steve passed by.

"Hey Steve."

"Chin." His greeting was taut. He had let Danny get to him and his lighthearted attempt to positively influence Danny's mood had backfired on him.

"What's up with him?" Chin inquired about Danny, ignoring Steve's similar demeanor.

"Oh, he's a bit ticked off at me. Nothing new." Steve intended on letting the topic drop there, but Chin followed him to his office. Steve took a seat and Chin stood facing him from across his desk, arms folded in anticipation of more. "I guess I pushed him too hard on his little escapade last night. Something's bothering him and he won't talk to me."

Chin nodded, "I see. Look, maybe you should give him some space. I know he's holding in some guilt from the night you were hurt."

Steve blew that off. "Come on, man, that's crazy."

"No, really. I think it's gnawing at him."

"But it wasn't _his_ fault."

"Well, you and I know that, but he blames himself for not being there when you needed him."

"He _was_ there when I needed him, out on the road."

"He thinks he could have prevented it altogether if he had cleared the other side of the building. He says he gave up and you paid for it."

"He told you this?"

Chin nodded.

"Well, it would have been him instead of me, then. Geez, Chin." Steve threw up his good arm and stood and began pacing in the confined area beside his desk.

"Look, just give him some time. Maybe lay off a bit and he'll come around."

"Yeah, okay." Chin started to leave and Steve called him back. "Hey, Chin. Thanks, man."

Chin just smiled at his friend and left him to be alone in his office.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Danny leaned out of his office, one hand holding the doorframe. "Hey Kono, do you have the file on the John Doe from last week?"

"Got it right here, boss." Kono brought the file to Danny. "Info's in the database, too."

"Thanks, this is what I need right now. No more on his identity?"

"Maybe. A new missing person's report was just submitted describing someone about his age. The lab's collecting a sample for comparison."

"Missing person? Is he local?"

"Sort of, from the Big Island."

"Did you already check into a law enforcement connection?"

"May be a little premature, but I couldn't help it. His father was a uniformed security guard for a large corporation's headquarters. Don't know if that qualifies."

"'kay, thanks, Kono." Danny returned to his desk and opened the folder he had just been given.

Steve came out of his office putting his phone away. "Come on, Danny. Prints taken off the paint can came back with a hit. We're going to go see this guy."

"Um, no, I'm good." He was propping his head with his left hand as he pored through the reports on his desk. Without looking up, he waved off Steve's bidding.

This assertion stopped Steve in his tracks. He had already passed Danny's office door and had to back up a few steps.

"Say again?"

Now Danny looked up from his work and folded his hands on top of the papers that littered his desk. "I _said_ I'm good. I'm not going." His last statement was meant to be a condescending, elementary explanation.

A blank, confused look crossed Steve's face. Chin had looked over from the smart table at the interaction and approached Steve. "Hey, how 'bout I take you. Kind of curious about this guy anyway." He looked Steve in the eyes trying to nonverbally communicate that this was a prime example of 'giving his partner some space'.

"Okay, yeah. Are you just going to stay here and work?" not really knowing what to say to his partner.

"Yep." Danny's answer was short and sweet and he continued to look at Steve to see if there was anything else.

Steve lingered, thinking maybe Danny would change his mind, but he didn't. "Alright, Chin, let's go."

Not ten minutes after Steve and Chin had left, Danny pulled a manila envelope from the stack of papers in front of him. He carefully opened it and pulled out the photographs from the John Doe case. He casually flipped through each one and started to flip another and went back to one in particular. He stared at the photograph a long moment and then quickly went through the remaining ones before returning to the one that had caught his attention.

"Williams? Where're you off to?" Lou asked when he saw Danny had left his office and was headed toward the door.

Danny briefly turned toward Lou and Kono. "I'm going over to the ME's office. I'll be back."

"Do you want some company?" Lou offered, not knowing what this sudden unexpected trip was about, but assuming Steve would want someone to accompany him.

"No. I got this."

Lou looked to Kono for her opinion and she just shrugged knowing if he didn't want anyone going with him, he wouldn't be deterred. Lou conceded and let him go.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"Oh, Detective Williams, you're back."

"Just Danny, Noelani, okay?"

"Okay, Danny, what can I help you with today?"

"Do you have the photos from the Herndon crime scene?"

"Yes, sure." She went to her computer and pulled up the photos from two nights ago. She conceded her spot in front of the monitor and let Danny have control of looking through the information there. He clicked through the images and it didn't take long to find what he was looking for.

"Son of a bitch."

"Detective? I mean, Danny? Did you find something?"

"Oh, sorry Noelani. I didn't mean to... "

"It's okay. What is it?"

He pulled out the manila envelope he had brought with him and took out its contents. "Look at this." He had put the one photograph from earlier on top of the stack. He handed all of them to Noelani. She looked at it and then at the image on the monitor.

"That's odd, but could be very much coincidental," she reasoned.

"Yes, yes, it _could_ be. But there's at least a third." She looked at him puzzled. "That's the way I found Steve that night... in the middle of the road. He had his right arm over his midsection and his left arm splayed out _exactly_ like these."

"Interesting. So, you're thinking..."

"...that the same guy is responsible for last week's DB and now Miss Herndon. They were posed, which is a MO for a large percent of..." Danny caught himself this time. He didn't need to go there with Noelani. He needed to get back to his office to research this new information. "...oh, nothing, I need to get back and do some more digging."

Noelani didn't press. She smiled. "Sure, if there's anything else I can help with, let me know."

"Absolutely. Thanks, Noelani." He was out the door before she could say goodbye.

When Danny got back to HQ, he found no one else was there. He figured Lou and Kono must be running down a lead and he hadn't seen Chin's car in the lot, so he and Steve must not have made it back yet. "That's okay," he spoke out loud but for only himself to hear, "I'll have some quiet while I work." He was trying to talk himself into not caring that Steve wasn't back yet, but he felt a twinge of regret in being stubborn and not going with his partner. Then he remembered his irritation and his trust in Chin and settled into his research.

After a couple of hours, he stood to stretch and went to get a cup of crappy, strong coffee from the machine. He glanced at his watch and found he still had some time before he had to leave to pick up Grace from cheer practice. He decided to get a little more research in before he had to leave. As he walked back into his office, he heard the chime from his laptop indicating that he had received an email. The lab had sent over a full report of the items collected and cataloged at both the Shady Breeze and the location of the stopped vehicle on the straightaway stretch of road.

One of the items listed piqued his interest. A discarded wad of tape found at the motel was identified as 'gaffer' tape. Danny recalled that Noelani had found adhesive on the victim's wrists, suggesting tape was used as a ligature. An online search found the tape is used extensively in the photography, theater, film, and television industries. His next search was for a source of this specialized tape.

An image that came up on the second site sent a chill down his back. He sat back in his chair and ran his hand over his mouth and the daily growth of stubble. The logo the theater supplier used was the comedy and tragedy drama masks prominently displayed in the top left corner, beside the name of the company. At first, he didn't get why the image was niggling at him. Then the realization washed over him in a wave. The bastard had been wearing a mask, one of these masks.

Danny hadn't realized it at the time, but Chin had implied to him that night that the distance and lighting to see that the guy was smiling was irrational. He hadn't seen him smiling after all. He had seen the comedy mask. His light skin... the white color of the mask _. How could he be so stupid?_ He mentally chastised himself. He picked up his phone to call Steve but stubbornly put the phone back on his desk when he remembered he was still angry with him and he probably still did not have his phone back anyway. He could call Chin or one of the other team members but decided not to just yet.

 _Okay, he got why the guy would be trying to conceal his identity, but what would prompt him to use that particular mask?_ His detective wheels started turning and he embarked on a comprehensive thematic search. Buried deep in his thoughts, he was taken aback when his phone buzzed. Danny didn't recognize the number.

"Detective Williams."

"Danno?"

"Hey, Monkey." His voice turned from straight-laced professional to his tender, higher-pitched dad tone. "Whose phone are you on?"

"Blair's. We're not going to be done until later, will that be ok?"

"How much later?" Danny was a little relieved that this wasn't the call from his daughter to let him know he had forgotten to pick her up on time. He had gotten caught up in what he was doing and hadn't been paying close attention to the time. The prospect of having more research time was a welcome relief.

"Probably just another half hour. You haven't left already, have you?"

"Um, no, no I haven't. Yeah, that'll be fine. I'll be there."

"Thanks, Danno. I love you."

"I love you more... oh, Grace." It was too late. She had already hung up. "... where is your phone?" he continued to mumble to himself as he touched his own disconnect button. He exhaled some pent-up stress and leaned the side of his head on his fist as he resumed flipping through more information.

When he had pushed his remaining time to the limit, and necessity and desire to see Grace forced him to leave, he was surprised that he was still alone at headquarters. He decided to give up on his obstinate stance and contact his partner. The information he had found needed to be shared with his team. He tried his phone and, sure enough, he answered.

"Danny, hey buddy." He was a little unsure of which Danny would be on the other end of the phone, so he proceeded delicately until he found out.

"I see you got your phone back... unlike some people."

"Yeah... what?"

"Never mind. Did you all have any luck?"

Steve noted that he _sounded_ like regular Danny. _Guess he had time to cool off._ "Dead end. What about you? Did you get anything?"

"As a matter of fact... hang on a second." Danny transferred his phone to his other hand so he could unlock and enter his car. "We've got it all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Steve glanced over at Chin and hit his speaker button.

"We were looking for a connection to law enforcement. I don't think that's what this guy is about."

"What did you find out, Danny?" Chin asked.

"You know how I saw the guy..."

"Yeah, you said he was standing there grinning at you." Chin remembered.

"Nope. I was wrong. It was a mask. Do you know the Greek drama masks, comedy and tragedy? It was one of those. And he posed them, the bodies."

"Damn it."

Danny could hear the realization in Steve's voice. "So, you're going to admit it now?"

"Danny, as much as I hate to say it, yes, I'm starting to think we are looking at a serial killer. Make you happy?"

Steve was walking on thin ice with Danny and Chin reminded him by the look he gave him, that his last comment should probably have been withheld.

"Not happy we're dealing with a serial killer; just happy you're finally acknowledging it."

"What about the posing?"

"The two we know of, each had their right arm over their stomach and their left arm extended. And I hate to say it, babe, that's how I found you, too."

"I don't get it," Steve confessed. "How does that relate to the mask?"

"Drama? Theater? ... Taking a bow?" Danny maddeningly tried to walk them through to his own conclusion. "That's what it looks like. Like they're taking a bow after a performance."

Steve and Chin seemed to catch on at the same time as evidenced by the look they shared.

"He also used something called gaffer tape that they use in film, TV, and theater. Then, I dug a little more and the Herndon girl had a background in her community theater back in Asheville. She gave it up when she started college. How much do want to bet our John Doe has some connection? We need to get his identity?"

"We got it. Kono called that the DNA came back positive on the missing person, Derrick Parker. I'll get her to see if he has any similar background. Now that we have that, did you check the databases for similar MOs?" Steve's curiosity was growing now.

"Not yet, I had to leave to pick up Grace, but I bet we'll find more."

"Okay, good work. I can get Kono to check on that too." Steve wasn't surprised by Danny's expertise in gaining the beneficial knowledge. He just wished he wasn't right this time.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	9. Chapter 9

Danny sat in the Camaro, outside the school, patiently waiting for Grace to come out. A small group of cheerleaders came down the front steps, smiling and giggling. Danny recognized some as her closer coterie of friends. He obligatorily threw up his hand to wave and smiled halfheartedly as they walked by. A few minutes later a couple more girls came out and went in a different direction. One was arm in arm with a boy about her age. _Ugh!_ His thoughts drifted, glad that wasn't _his_ daughter. He didn't recognize them, probably older, as it looked as though they were driving themselves.

Danny hung his head and sighed heavily and then turned his head to again watch the steps. His patience began to mutate to restlessness. He swiped his finger back and forth across his upper lip and his knee began to bounce up and down. He pulled his phone from his pocket and called Grace's number. The phone rang several times before finally going to her voicemail. That was enough for him. He exited his car and started for the stairs when he saw Blair coming toward him.

"Hello, Mr. Williams," she chanted jovially. Grace and Blair had become fast friends since Blair had moved to the islands from the United Kingdom. She spent a lot of time at Stan and Rachel's house because Rachel, being from her homeland, had made her feel at home and made the transition to the states easier. Danny had likewise gotten to know her well because of the time she and Grace spent together.

"Hi, Blair." He motioned toward the school. "Where is Grace? It's taking her a while."

"I saw her a few minutes ago. I think she was looking for her phone."

"Oh, yeah, what happened to her phone?"

"I don't know. She thought it was in her bag and it wasn't so she went back to check her locker. She probably just left it there by mistake so she'd make it to practice on time. She should be out in a minute. I gotta go. Mum's waiting for me."

"Okay, tell her I said 'Hello'."

"I will. Goodbye, Mr. Williams," she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

Danny entered the school and walked down the mostly empty hallway. The atmosphere was much different than the night before. There was only a smattering of students here and there, most likely remaining after school for their respective extracurricular activities.

He tried Grace's phone again, hoping she had found the object causing her to run late. His attempt yielded the same result as before. He kept walking in the direction of the gym, knowing that is where practice starts and ends on days when practice is held outside, or where the entire practice was held during rare days of inclement weather.

"Detective Williams?" Danny turned to see the assistant principal he had just met the previous evening heading toward him. "Oh, it _is_ you," he confirmed to himself when he saw Danny's face. He briefly glanced at the sidearm on Danny's waist which seemed to make him uneasy but then offered his hand in greeting.

Even though Danny had decided he didn't like this guy, he fulfilled social decorum and smiled and shook his hand. "Mr. Richards."

"I'm surprised to see you here again so soon. Can I help you with something?"

"Well, actually, maybe you can. I was looking for Grace. She should be done with cheer practice by now but she didn't come out, so I was trying to find her."

"You're headed in the right direction. They would have finished up in the gymnasium." He lifted his arm in the direction they were facing, offering to walk with Danny to help find her.

The cheerleading coach was adjusting her backpack as she walked out the door of the gym and into the hall. She stopped when the two men reached her. "Ms. Craven, you know Grace Williams' father..."

Before he could say anymore, she wrinkled her forehead in confusion and pointed her thumb behind her. "Of course, Detective. But... Grace just left out the back door. She said you were waiting out there for her?"

"What? Well I'm obviously not. I'm right here!" Danny's heart skipped a beat and was hit with a surge of adrenaline. He took off through the gym doors and slowed just a bit as he crossed the slick wood floor to the other side. He burst through the back door and scanned the lot. His attention was drawn to a dark gray pickup sitting stationary at the parking lot exit. As soon as he stepped outside and was visible to the driver, the truck took off. He saw Grace was on the passenger side of the truck. She turned back to look at him with fear displayed on her face. It was evident, she was not going along of her own volition.

"Grace! ... Grace!" He instinctively took off running toward the truck but when he quickly realized how foolish that was, he started around the side of the school to the front lot where his car was parked. In a matter of seconds, he was on the road in the direction the truck had gone, déjà vu of the other night hitting him in full force.

He didn't see the truck anywhere. He increased his speed, even though he was in a congested area and it was nearing time for rush hour traffic. The first intersection he came to was a main crossroads. His light was green, but he stopped anyway and looked in all directions trying to determine which way to go. There was no sign of the vehicle he was chasing. "Damn. Damn it!" He hit his steering wheel and was brought back to reality with the obnoxious honking of the horns behind him. He went through the intersection and pulled to the side of the road. _In broad daylight, in freakin' broad daylight, he had seen the mid-size truck, Chevrolet Colorado, with no tags, just like he thought that night. The jackweed was right there._ "Damn it!" he vented again.

His phone rang. He could see it was Steve calling.

"Danny?" His voice sounded rushed and upset. "Danny?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here." Danny was slow to answer and his voice was low and dejected.

"Danny, where are you? Did you get Grace? ... Danny?" Steve's hurried questions were hopeful but pragmatic. He had gotten the call from Duke who had heard that Mr. Richards had called 911 when he and Ms. Craven had witnessed the abduction and Danny's attempt to stop it.

"He got her, Steve. It was him. Our serial killer took Grace. He's got my little girl."

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"Why are you doing this? Where is Uncle Steve?" Grace was able to get her questions out between sobs but no answer came. She had given in to the fear and subsequent crying for now, but not for long. She would get it out and then she would put on a hard exterior her dad would be proud of and not let this man see her fear.

The man had driven for miles. His attention stayed mainly focused on the road, only glancing at her every now and then, but never speaking a word. He didn't try to hide their destination, or route to get there, and he had not tried to conceal his face. She could recognize him and even though her dad had tried to shield her from his job, Grace had indirectly learned enough from him to know that did not bode well for her.

They passed the Shady Breeze motel. Grace saw it, but didn't give it a fleeting thought as she was ignorant of the significance it held to her situation. After several more minutes of rural scenery, they came into more of a densely populated area. She had seen the nearby residential homes and the people going about normal, everyday activities at the shopping center they had just passed. She longed to be one of those people right now. She had even considered attempting an Uncle Steve stunt and jumping from the moving vehicle or calling attention to herself in some way. She knew, however, that gamble could not only bring disaster to her, but she didn't know about her uncle's wellbeing either and couldn't risk it.

The truck went behind the shopping center, where shipping docks were closed and unmanned at this time of day. From that access point, it entered a broken, pot hole littered, black top road that wended through more trees and vegetation to an unlikely, secluded spot in the middle of this small commercial area.

They drove onto the lot of an abandoned airplane hangar at the old Kailua Sky Ranch. The building had not been used for its intended purpose in over fifty years. Commercial and residential development had overtaken the once active, but small air field and this was one of the few original buildings that had survived the progress. The forgotten property was surrounded by an expanse of concrete which was enclosed by rusted chain link fencing which was only visible in sections. The fenced border was overgrown with layers of unattended varieties of tropical foliage, concealing the hangar from the sight of nearby, oblivious residents.

The truck pulled into an open bay door and stopped inside the shaded, cooler structure. The man calmly exited the truck and went to the passenger side and opened the door. "Get out."

Grace's tears had dried. She had put on her hard façade and did as she was told. She glanced longingly to the outside through the large open door then looked around the inside of the building as the man pulled a roll of tape from the pocket of his windbreaker. He grabbed both of her hands and wrapped the heavy, black tape firmly around her wrists, several times over.

The place was large and mostly empty except for two opposite corners that contained what appeared to be large metal drums in one, and empty crates made of wood, wire, and cardboard that were labeled with pineapple logos in the other. The items had probably been stored, maybe even years ago, and forgotten. Skid marks on the concrete showed that one of the metal drums had been drug near to where they were standing and was now being used as a makeshift table with a few random items on top. There was no one else around. They were alone.

"You said you had my Uncle Steve. Where is he? Is he here? Is he okay?" She noticed her voice echoed in the cavernous building.

"He'll be fine if you do what you're told and don't give me any trouble. Let's go, sunshine." He took hold of one of her arms and led her up some steps to a small room in a small, offshoot hallway. After pushing her in, she heard a distinct click of a lock. She waited a few seconds and then checked the knob to be sure. It was locked tight.

The room was warm, no, hot, more accurately. There wasn't a window, but the natural light, and maybe some air, was coming through a jagged rip in the metal wall. If air was blowing in though the small opening, it wasn't noticeable.

The serrated edge of the hole would have been perfect for slicing through the incredibly stubborn tape around Grace's wrists, if she were only able to reach it. Unfortunately, it had to be six feet or more above her. She tried to use her teeth to free herself but to no avail.

She paced around the perimeter of the small, empty room, searching... for something, maybe something else sharp that she could use... thinking... of what she should be doing, maybe devising a plan to escape... and worrying... for herself, for Steve, and for her dad. She felt more tears begin to well up in her eyes, but she brushed them away with the back of one of her hands. She had seen Danno and he had seen her. He knew she was in trouble and she knew he would find her. He would do anything to find her. She was sure.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	10. Chapter 10

"How's Rachel?"

Danny was resting his forehead on his interlocked fingers, elbows propped on his desk, when Steve walked into his office. He had just hung up with Rachel. It had been a long, fretful night and he didn't know if he was trying to wake up from a nightmare, black out the world and make everything disappear, or communicate with the creator of the universe and implore him to break tradition and come through for him this time, and if not for him, for his cherished daughter. Grace was the light of his life. She was pure and innocent and everything that was right with the world and she did not deserve this. It should be him. His meditation, intended on soothing his internal struggles, was doing the opposite.

Steve's voice had brought him out of his disquieting interlude. Danny raised his head and opened his hands in question. "Um, how do you think she's doing? That's the..."

"...stupidest question I've ever asked." Steve finished Danny's assessment. "Sorry," he added as he sat in the chair across the desk from his partner.

"Yeah, well, maybe not the stupidest... but something like that." Danny forced a half smile and waved his hand in dismissal and forgiveness. He was tired and on edge and he recognized it for what it was. He felt helpless and his nerves were prickling on the surface which left him feeling peculiarly vulnerable. "I don't know. She's numb, but she's strong, giving Charlie lots of hugs. Stan's with her."

Steve nodded. "Look, we've got all hands-on-deck out there going over every traffic cam video, canvassing every house and business in the area around the school, interviewing everyone that was at the school, checking on every registered Colorado, following up on every lead. We're not going to stop 'til we've got her back, Danny. I promise." He paused and then continued. "I promise, we'll get her back... safe." He knew the attempt was pointless, and that he probably should not have used the "p" word. He knew better. He had reprimanded Danny for making the same pledge to distraught parents in a similar position in the past, but he had to say _something_ to reassure his brother and simultaneously, himself as well.

Danny appreciated the sentiment and understood what his partner was attempting to do, and therefore didn't challenge him on it. "Yeah, I know. Thanks." The few words seemed so shallow and unconvinced even though he was trying to reciprocate the support.

Chin made an appearance at the door and hoped he wasn't interrupting. "Fellas, come here. You're going to want to see this."

"What 'cha got?" Steve was out of Danny's office first but Danny quickly pushed back from his desk and followed close behind.

"I think Kono may have an ID on our guy," Chin stated over his shoulder as they approached the central computer. Lou stood with one hand leaning on the table and Kono was paused, hand resting on her hip, waiting on the pair to join the group. When they did, she took over.

"Okay, so we took Danny's findings on a possible MO and ran with it... and..." She typed into the computer and sent info to the big screen. "We found a similar pattern with several homicides radiating from the urban Indianapolis area. There were five vics total, male and female. Four were current or former actors and there was one stage hand. All were from different acting companies in and around the Indy area. The posing of the bodies was consistent with our guy."

"So, he's here now, on our island," Steve concluded.

"Actually, this happened five years ago..."

"So, the idiot took a break and found his way to paradise," Lou interrupted.

Kono shook her head in correction. "No. Local law enforcement apprehended the suspect. His name was Beckett Thomason." She sent a photo up to the screen.

"Was?" Steve asked.

"Yep, didn't even make it to trial. Died of a previously unknown, congenital heart ailment before they could convict."

Steve closed his eyes momentarily in thought and then shook his head as he held out his hand and offered a possible explanation. "Okay, so maybe they got the wrong guy?"

"No. He made a confession and DNA evidence confirmed."

Danny had been listening intently, soaking it all in but finally spoke. "So, we still don't know who the bastard is after all. All we got is a stinkin' dead end? That's just fantastic!" Danny didn't try to conceal his frustration. He turned his back to the group and walked to stare out the window.

"Wait, Danny, there's more." Kono made an attempt to reengage his interest. Danny turned to face the others but stayed where he was.

Kono continued, "At the time, there was some speculation that there could be someone else helping him. Some of the physical aspects of moving the victims and general doubt that one person could pull off some of the disappearances, but the idea was eventually shut down due to lack of evidence, time constraints, and public pressure to close the case. The theory couldn't be proven."

She had Danny's full attention again. "Two people... now that _would_ be unusual in the world of serial killers." Danny glanced at Steve remembering a prior conversation.

"Unusual, yes, but not unheard of. There is precedent. Thomason had a seemingly estranged, older half-brother that was investigated at the time and ruled out because he lived in a neighboring state and always had an alibi. Hollis Killian is his name." Again, she sent an image to the screen beside Thomason's, this time a driver's license photo since there was not a mug shot available. Even though the last man added to the screen was older than Thomason, a definite similarity was evident, especially in the eyes.

"So, why are you bringing him up now if he was exonerated?" Lou asked.

"Because I ran a check on him anyway and found something very interesting. He had purchased a one-way ticket to Oahu in the spring of last year. Only thing is, we don't have a location on him now. There was not a return ticket under his name and _if_ he's here now, it's gotta be under an alias."

"But what about the alibis?" Steve questioned.

"Haven't figured that one out yet, maybe somebody messed up or didn't dig enough?" Kono suggested.

There was a slight pause as everyone digested what had been reported to them, then Kono added, "Also, one of the pieces of evidence that was recovered in Indy was the Melpomene mask."

When she got confused expressions, she clarified, "The Greek tragedy mask." She sent a picture of both of the recognizable theater masks to the screen. Danny felt that shiver again. "We believe Danny saw the guy that took Steve wearing the counterpart, the comedy mask, Thalia."

"Why the theater connection? Do we know?" Steve asked.

"I think that's from their mother, Beatrice Thomason." Kono displayed her photo for all of them to see. "She had been an aspiring stage actress but hanged herself after a bout with major clinical depression that was deemed to be physiological but was exacerbated after being repeatedly rejected for roles."

"Wow, that's kinda sad. Didn't get the admiration her personality demanded and it drove her to suicide," Lou threw in.

"Pathetic, more like it," Steve said.

"Okay, so..." Danny expelled some of the suffocating stress with a huff of air and rejoined his team at the computer. "This psycho, Beckett Thomason, murdered these people and was probably, somehow, helped by his equally psycho, half-brother, Hollis Killian, for the purpose of some sort of sick retribution for the perceived blame they laid on their truly innocent victims, for the death of their narcissistic, thespian mother. _Now_ , little brother is a casino buffet for maggots and imbecile big brother picks up the mantle, years later, mind you, but doesn't miss a beat killing more innocent people and this time his spree is here, on my island. _And_ this time he's got Grace." The last sentence was slower and softer than the previous ones as he wound down. The summation rant had been comprised of one hand planted firmly on his hip and one hand, conversely flailing through the air. His friends let him finish his catharsis, knowing he needed to get it out.

Lou was the first to speak. "Very eloquently spoken, my friend. Couldn't have said it better myself."

"And you're right. He _is_ an imbecile to have come here. He doesn't realize who he's up against this time. This is where it ends." Steve added his declaration.

"What I don't get is, why Steve?" Chin turned to look at Steve and continued, "Why you? Why did he call in to Five-0 that night and get us involved? Sounds counterintuitive if you're wanting to evade capture."

"And... we're still not sure if he _intentionally_ meant for you to be one of his _murder_ victims. Thankfully it didn't work out that way if so," Kono added.

"Oh, I think he did. I think the smug son of a bitch was leaning against that truck, foot comfortably propped up on the bumper behind him, waiting for a show." Danny verbalized his thoughts.

"Well, he got one, just not what he intended I'm sure," Chin contributed.

"I may have an idea on why he called us," Kono continued. "My last point, that I hadn't gotten to, was that the last victim in Indianapolis..." she paused as she checked to see if it looked like Danny could hear what she was about to say and decided to continue, "...happened to be the daughter of a captain in the city's force. She was twenty-six and engaged to be married. I don't know if Thomason was just coincidently sloppy that time or if more law enforcement time and resources were put on the investigation because it was a cop's family member, but the evidence from that particular homicide is what led to Thomason's arrest."

"So, you're thinking his brother's incorporating revenge on law enforcement into his killing spree?" Steve caught on. "And Five-0 has become his target and he's using Danny's daughter as his weapon."

Danny corrected him. "Plaything, Five-0 has become his plaything and he's using Grace as a game piece. It's all a big game, a big freakin' cat and mouse game, solely for his entertain..." Danny paused as he felt the familiar buzz of a text alert, "...ment," he finished as he pulled out his phone. He felt his heart flutter when he saw Grace's photo light up. The text was from her phone. He read the message before he divulged the identity of the sender to the others.

|| _Tell them it's her mother. Then excuse yourself to someplace private._ ||

Danny felt as though maybe some of the blood drained from his head and he wondered if he had physically swayed. Coming back to his senses, he was forced into some acting of his own. "It's, ah, Rachel. I'll... be right back." He quickly headed toward his office.

"Hey, I thought she was with Stan. Is everything okay?" Steve was curious and called after him.

"Um, not sure. I'll let you know in a minute."

Danny closed the door to his office and settled into his chair. His texted reply was short and anxious.

|| _OK. Now what?_ ||

His phone rang. It was Grace's number. Danny answered without any greeting. "If you hurt her, you, sick, son of a bitch, I WILL kill you!"

The man, Danny believed to be Hollis Killian, didn't answer with the anticipated, condescending response to Danny's threat. It irked Danny that he wouldn't even try to rebut or challenge him back, or even reprimand him for the pejorative comment. Instead he got a simple question.

"Do you want to see her again?"

Danny mentally noted he wasn't like other hot-headed, egotistical lowlifes he had dealt with in the past. He adjusted his approach and decided against provocation. "You know I do. Can I talk to her?"

"No. She's fine, but if you're wanting to see her, you'll just have to trust me. Today is your lucky day. Listen carefully. ... Are you listening, Detective?"

"Yes! I'm listening. Go on." He tried to rein in his embittered tone but couldn't help but let a little of his Jersey attitude seep into his voice. Danny already knew he was dealing with a psychopath that held Grace's life in his hands. The last thing he wanted to do was make him angry.

"Power off and leave your phone and your gun in your desk drawer and drive to the Kalihi-Palama bus station. Come alone. Just you, for now. I've booked an Uber to pick you up at the waiting pavilion there, at the far west corner of the lot. It'll be a white Ford Fusion. Mike is the driver's name. You'll tell him your name is Larry."

"What do I tell my team?"

"You'll need to come up with an excuse, but make it good. They can't know anything is amiss or she'll pay."

"Alright, alright, just don't hurt her. I'll do everything you say."

"The car will be there in seventeen minutes. Don't keep Mike waiting. Oh, and Detective, it's not just your team, no talking about this to your driver or anyone else, got it?"

"Yeah, got it."

Danny heard the call disconnect. His brain immediately started concocting his story.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	11. Chapter 11

The night had been long, dark, and uncomfortable. Grace had tried to stay awake but had dozed on and off, seated on the concrete floor with her back leaning against the corner of the room. The man had come back once and allowed her a necessity visit to an old but functional and recently cleaned restroom. She had not seen the man again since he had locked her back in this room.

Her long, waking hours were spent with her thoughts. She had recalled the events of the day before. ~

At the school, Grace had not been able to find her phone. She had been sure she had put it in her backpack but decided to check her locker anyway. The other cheerleaders had already left, so she was alone in the locker room. She had started to insert the key in the lock when she had heard a noise and turned around from the locker to see this man standing in front of her. She had been startled and yelped. He had raised his finger to his lips, impelling her to be quiet.

"Looking for this?" he had said while holding up her phone. He made sure she had seen him power off the phone and put it in his pocket. Then he had held up his own phone with a picture already displayed of Steve, unconscious, lying on the floor.

The man had told her that he had her uncle and that she needed to come with him quietly if she wanted him to remain safe. He had instructed her to count to one hundred and then follow him out, to not alert anyone, and to tell her coach that her father was outside waiting for her.

"He is, by the way," he had said to her. "I saw him. But, unfortunately, he's out front, and we're... going out _that_ door." He had smiled at her as he tipped his head in the door's direction.

She had been scared. She had not known what to do, but had decided to do as the man had said. How did he know Danno and that he was there? He had been watching her father. He had Steve, who looked to be hurt, _and_ he knew where her dad was. She had feared for her dad _and_ for Steve. So, she had done as the man had asked. She had willingly gone with him. She hoped her dad wouldn't be disappointed in her. She had made the best decision she could at the time. ~

_Steve_. Her thoughts went back to her uncle Steve. _Where was he?_ Since she had last seen the man, everything had been quiet. She believed he may have left but she wasn't sure. She made a decision and got up her nerve. "Uncle Steve?" The words came out much softer than she had expected. She wanted _Steve_ to hear her, but not the man. She didn't care. She tried again, more confidently this time. "Uncle Steve?!"

It was still early in the day, but the heat was returning. With her hands still bound, she raised her shoulder up as much as she could to use the sleeve of her t-shirt to wipe away the sweat that was starting to make a path from her forehead to mix with the remnants of her dried tears.

She heard nothing in reply to her call. Still leery of the potential presence of the man, she summoned some of her Williams moxie and hardily banged on the metal wall. "Steve? Can you hear me? Are you there?" Again nothing. _Could it be possible her uncle was... no_ , she would not allow the thought _. Maybe he can't hear her, maybe he's too far away, or in a place where he can't hear outside sounds. Maybe he's not even in the same building._

She selfishly hoped he was there, under the same roof. That would make her feel better. She wouldn't want captivity for either of them, but if it had to be, she would want them together. But she was stuck wondering and, for now, she was alone.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Danny checked the clock then removed his gun and holster and powered off his phone. As he was instructed, he placed them both in the top right drawer of his desk and pulled out a notepad. He took just a minute to write a few words, his handwriting shakier than normal. He tore off the sheet and folded the paper three times over and put it in his pocket.

He then psyched himself up to go face his ohana. Not only would he be lying to people he cared about, and he hated that, but he would also be lying to people who read other people for a living. He only hoped he could do a decent enough job that they wouldn't see through the deceit.

As he left his office, he kept his right hip facing away from the others so they wouldn't notice the absence of his gun. He nonchalantly called out, "Hey, guys. I'm going to have to take off for a bit. Can one of you give Steve a ride if I'm not back?"

Chin answered first, "Sure, no problem. Is anything wrong?"

_There it is... show time._ "Rachel's just having a hard time. I'm going to meet with her and Stan and see if I can help." _Was that good enough? Steve gave a face. But he always gives a face. Maybe I should add more._ "She says Charlie can tell something's wrong, so she was hoping I could distract him."

"Aw, poor Charlie." Kono sympathized.

"Sure, man, go take care of Charlie and Rachel. We'll stay on this here," Steve assured his friend.

"Thanks. I, uh, hopefully should be back soon. Um, Steve?"

Steve turned back toward Danny from the smart table. "Yeah, buddy?"

"Nothing. Just... let me know if you find anything else."

"Copy that. You'll be the first to know. Send our love. Will you?"

"Copy that." Danny echoed Steve's acknowledgement. Typically, he would do this to be mocking his partner. This time it was riddled with guilt for lying but it was also pacifying to be using Steve's own official jargon. It had a sense of normalcy that comforted him.

Danny tempered his half-jogging pace with half-walking to the parking lot. He was in a hurry but didn't want to blatantly appear so. He looked at his watch as he climbed into his car. He had ten minutes left and sent up verbal curses to the red lights he ran and the slow cars he passed, and grateful 'thank yous' to the green and accommodatingly timed yellow lights.

It had been nineteen minutes since his imposed timer had started when the phone call ended... two minutes past the deadline. He burned some tread off his tires as he slammed on his breaks to turn left into the station's parking lot. He had to pass by the white sedan that was sitting in the pull-through in front of the pavilion. He took the first space he saw and bolted from his car to make it to the Uber driver before he decided give up and leave.

He was late, but he had made it before the driver bailed. The passenger side window was down and Danny grabbed onto that door with both hands, as if he were going to physically keep the car from pulling away. He looked into the car at the driver. "I'm Larry. Are you Mike?"

"That's me. Climb in."

"Man, sorry I'm running late. Thanks for waiting."

"It's all good. Looks like you're in a hurry?"

Remembering his warning. He answered tersely, "Just a little."

They traveled a few miles. Danny was glancing over to see if he could see the driver's GPS or phone giving directions to get a sense of their destination. At not seeing one and trying to not reveal his intentions, he asked, "I guess you know where you're going?"

"Yeah, sure, came through on the app after I arrived."

_Okay, so that didn't help and still don't see a phone._ "Do you know about how much longer?"

"Eh, probably twenty, twenty-five minutes, depending on traffic. So, tell me, Larry, can I call you that?"

"Um, yeah, that's fine."

"What kind of big plans do you have that you're in such a hurry?"

"Just meeting my daughter."

"I see. Well I hope you have a nice visit."

"Yeah, me too," Danny mumbled. He then reached into his pocket and fiddled with the folded paper there. "So, Mike, have you been doing this long?"

"No, actually started very recently."

"Is this just a side job? Want a little extra spending money?"

"Sure, who doesn't? But I like to meet people, too."

Long, stale, exhausting minutes would go by between each attempt at conversation. Neither participant seemed to be very good at this.

"Do you have any kids?" Danny was feeling him out. Each question was intended to gauge his potential to trust him.

"I did. A son, but he's grown. Haven't seen him in a while."

"Oh... sorry." Danny sensed there was more to the story but felt as though he shouldn't pry.

"It is what it is." Mike seemed resigned to the situation.

The trip seemed interminable and the silent interludes was Danny's unsolicited opportunity for his rationality and emotions to battle, with his emotions finally giving in.

"Look, Mike. I was wondering... do you think you could do me a really big solid?"

"Well, I... I guess? What is it?"

Danny pulled the paper from his pocket and hesitated. He stared at the folded note then decided to give it a shot. "After you drop me off, will you get this to Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett with Five-0?" He held the folded paper so Mike could see it. "Please, don't open it, just get it to him. It's very important. Let him read it then wait for his response. Can you do that?"

Danny worried about his own safety a minute for the amount of time the driver was distracted because he was looking at him instead of at the road, as though he'd been asked to drive his car off a cliff. Danny anxiously glanced back and forth from Mike to the road in front of him, as if he would be able to take control of the wheel if needed. He hoped, at the least, Mike would see his apprehension and snap out of it. It seemed to work. Mike still seemed in shock, but thankfully did reengage with the required attention to his driving. He, however, still did not answer.

Danny went on, thinking he realized the reason for the delay in a response. "He'll pay you for your time," he assured.

_Even if the cheapskate wouldn't because he'd probably go off half-cocked first. He still had to tell Mike whatever it would take to get him there._

Mike took the note from Danny. "Uh, yeah, okay, yeah. I'll, uh, just put it right here in my pocket where it'll be safe. Don't worry."

_Don't worry?_ It was too late. Danny was already worrying. He wondered if he'd just made a Kamekona sized error in judgment. He had violated the specific instructions Killian had given him, well, not technically. He reasoned that he hadn't actually _spoken_ to his driver about the situation. However, the deed was done now and he just needed to let it play out.

Danny wasn't too surprised to see they were in the Kailua area, not far from the now-infamous Shady Breeze motel. They had come in from the other direction, though, so he did not see the place of origin for this nightmare he was involved in. The car made its way behind a shopping center, of all places, and turned onto a narrow, neglected road that led to an inexplicably hidden structure. The large size and rounded Quonset-like roofline immediately revealed its originally intended purpose.

"Wow. I'm surprised you knew how to find this place." Danny tried to be lighthearted to ease his own anxiety. His thoughts went to Grace. He didn't know why this lunatic, Killian, was bringing him here, but he didn't care if he could just get a chance to get Grace to safety. He spoke to Mike without taking his eyes away from the building, looking for movement but mostly absorbing the place that could hold his daughter. His heartrate was up and his breathing was irregular.

Danny slowly climbed out of the car but peered back in the open window to appeal to Mike one more time. "You'll keep your word? ...on the paper? Ask for Commander Steve McGarrett," he reiterated.

"Trust me. Today's your lucky day."

A sick feeling of realization gripped Danny and his world momentarily stopped spinning.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	12. Chapter 12

_'_ _Trust me. Today's your lucky day.'_ Danny could have sworn his heart stopped. Those words... he had just heard them. _It couldn't be. It was just a coincidence, a laughable coincidence._ Danny tried to urge his facial muscles to obey and smile at the man. He believed he did, but he wasn't sure.

"'kay, then," was all he managed to get out. He slapped the car twice as if patting the driver on the back to go and do what he was told now. He turned and began his walk toward the building. After about ten yards he turned back. The car was still there. It hadn't left.

Danny had given him the okay to leave. _Why was he still there?_ He yelled out, "Look, you probably need to get out of here. It's not safe. If you didn't get paid, it wasn't..."

The car door opened and Mike stepped out and sauntered to the front of the vehicle. He folded his arms and propped his right foot behind him on the bumper.

Danny went numb. He stood facing the car and he couldn't move. A strange paralysis cemented him to the ground. A slowly rotating millstone formed in his stomach at the same time his brain tried to organize his thoughts into something useful. Realization hit him like a Pipeline wave.

He knew this man.

The man that stood before him was the same he had seen before. He had seen him standing by his truck that night, arms crossed over his chest, foot propped, shoulder dropped. That time he'd been wearing a mask. But he knew. It was him. The next time he saw him, he wasn't wearing a mask. He had barely got a glimpse of his face but he had been standing there, in the hallway at the school, Grace's school, arms folded, knee bent with his foot on the wall, shoulder dropped. He had run from him. He had only gotten a good look at the back of his head that night. But he knew. It was him. The last time was less than an hour ago, not in person like before, but on the screen at the palace. The long hair was gone, or hidden under the ballcap he was now wearing, and also the sunglasses he was now sporting concealed his eyes. But he knew. It was him.

The man was in his early fifties, or possibly late forties if time had taken its toll as it appeared. Danny couldn't recall if Kono had provided his actual age with the other information earlier that day. Graying stubble covered his unshaven face and deep crow's feet peeked out from behind the sunglasses. He stood a respectable six feet or so and, unexpectedly, had a formidable, buff physique for his age and appearance.

"You look pale, Larry... I mean, Detective. Are you going to be okay?"

Danny's paralysis included his speech. His jaw dropped to reply but nothing came out. _The note._ His mind recalled the note he had given the man standing before him. The one he had asked this man to deliver to Steve. He came back to himself and composed his resolve.

"Hollis? Killian?"

Killian dropped his foot to the ground and took a step forward. Danny believed his knowledge of his identity truly threw him for a loop. "Very good, _Detective_." He emphasized the title and simultaneously the explanation for the exposed knowledge.

"Where is my daughter?" Danny turned to look around at the building and his surroundings.

"You'll see her. I said it was your lucky day, didn't I?"

~~~~~H50~~~~~

The task force, minus their second-in-command, had been working diligently to get a lead, a crumb, anything that could lead them to Grace before it was too late. Kono was in her office when she finished her phone call. She quickly hung up and went to inform her team what she had found out.

"Hey, guys, I've got something." Steve, Chin, and Lou joined her in the bullpen area.

"What did you find?" Steve spoke eagerly, hoping she would have something they could work with.

"First of all, I was able to confirm that Derrick Parker, our former John Doe, _did_ have a theater connection after all, a strong one, in fact. Before he fell on hard times when he lost his full-time job, he had been a recurring lead actor at the Honolulu Children's Theatre."

"Not surprised," Lou commented.

"That may also explain the bag of food we found at the motel, if he had, in fact, been squatting there because he was down and out. Maybe Derrick's how Killian came upon that place to begin with," Chin surmised.

Kono nodded and added, "But listen to this, I've also been working the angle on Killian's truck. First, I checked on purchases since spring of last year, when Killian should have arrived in Hawaii. We started with the narrowed pool of dark gray Chevy Colorado trucks. The buyers all checked out, including the four that were cash transactions. The dealerships had no problems getting IDs for those customers. There were also none of that make and model transported in from the mainland by individuals during that period time. Then we checked for any that could have been stolen and again, there were none. Next, we checked with body shops and we got a hit. There had been a 2013 white Colorado brought in around the end of April that had been part of a pest control company fleet. The company sold it as a private party transaction to a man who paid cash. The company had it painted to remove their logos and taken out of their name for liability reasons. Guess what color the new owner chose... graphite metallic... dark gray. According to the DMV, the vin was never registered under anyone else's name."

"So, how's this going to help us, if we don't know who purchased it?" Lou asked.

"We do, sort of. The arrangement was for the purchaser of the vehicle to pick it up directly from the body shop after the paint job was complete. The company selling the vehicle got the buyer's name to let the body shop know who was picking it up and the body shop has a policy of getting more info than that. So now we have a name and an address."

"No way he used Hollis Killian?" Lou was sarcastically skeptical.

"Mike... Beckett."

"Beckett? Son of a... he used his brother's name." Steve had the realization that maybe they were close now.

" _And_ Michael was his father's name, Michael Killian," Kono added.

"Okay, so, you say you have an address?"

"Yep, up in Kailua again."

Steve was chomping at the bit now. "Let's go."

"Hey, don't you think we need to give Danny a call?" Chin remembered their promise to him.

Steve glanced at his watch to see how much time had passed since Danny had left. He hated to cut his time short with Rachel and Charlie if he were needed, but he also knew Danny would feel this would take priority if it could lead to getting Grace back safely. "Yeah, let's call on the way. He can meet us there."

"What about your injuries? Why don't you stay here and get a hold of Danny, and Kono, Lou, and I will go check it out."

"No way. I'm going. You're driving." Chin got a snippet of the hardline attitude Danny deals with daily and felt a bit of empathy for his friend.

"Okay, but let me take point on this one... at least until Danny can get there," Chin compromised.

"Okay... alright, let's just go," Steve conceded. The unfamiliar position made him uncomfortable but he understood it was necessary.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Hollis Killian had still not revealed a weapon. Danny boldly took a step closer to him.

"Okay, so take me to her." He took a couple more steps and closed the gap further.

"You can stop right there. I told you you'll see her, and you will, but today's luck may have run out after this." Killian pulled the note Danny had given him, out of his pocket. "Shall we see what it says?"

Danny was standing in the open, on this massive slab of concrete, with nothing around... no walls, no barriers, and yet he felt cornered. Flashes of recent memories fluttered in his head, memories of collapsed building rubble coming between him and his freedom and future, of a torturous Colombian prison, of being stuck on a rooftop in Chinatown with the only out being a jump from one building to another, and of hiding out in a stranger's house, protecting an innocent witness while outnumbered and surrounded by heavily armed men who were about to storm in to kill the witness and anyone else who got in their way. Each of those times, he had been trapped, stuck in a dire situation with little to no hope of escape. Here in the open, under a magnificent, unending, bright blue Hawaiian sky, breathing abundant fresh, though humid, air, he once again felt trapped.

The grinding in Danny's stomach intensified and he shifted his weight on his feet. "Look, I wasn't thinking. Okay? That was just in case this thing went sideways. You get it. Don't you?"

While Danny was talking, Killian watched him while unfolding the paper. He scanned over the note before reading it aloud, constantly glancing at Danny.

"Was contacted. Taking me to Grace. Get 10-20 from driver. - D"

Danny stopped talking as his own words were thrown back in his face. His on-the-fly plan had now proven to be foolish. He realized his usual recourse of verbal rambling would do him no good this time. He had to think of another approach.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Detective... eh, D?"

"No, of course not. Not at all. In fact, you must be pretty smart to have done what you've done and not get caught." _Still sticking with imbecile, you bastard. Just telling you what you want to hear._

"What all do you think I have done? Eh, you know, just save it. We'll have plenty of time to finish this. Let's get out of this heat, shall we?" Killian raised his open hand in the direction of the hangar.

Danny still did not see a weapon and he knew he would have to make a choice now. He held his hands up to show submission.

"Okay. Alright."

He stole a quick look over his shoulder at the building behind them. He didn't know what kind of chance he would have later. At that moment, a loud rhythmic banging noise came from behind him. _Grace_. His decision was made.

With adrenaline and determination propelling him forward, Danny lowered his shoulder as he accelerated and went for the man's hips, full-on offensive line tackle style. At impact, he wrapped his arms around and lifted Killian and threw his full body weight into him. Although he was on the plus side of Danny's years and was startled by the unexpected attack, Killian was lithe and athletic and reacted immediately. He twisted in the fall to keep Danny from landing on top of him on the pavement. Both men landed forcefully on their sides with subsequent grunts of pain and temporary loss of air.

Each man then went for weapons; Danny had gambled and brought a concealed subcompact nine-millimeter attached to his ankle, and from his back pocket, Killian pulled out his yet unrevealed and unintended weapon. A pair of vise grip pliers had been quickly deposited there earlier in the day, and had proven to be less awkward to get to than Danny's ankle holster. Danny's fingers were grazing the grip of the small gun, when a shower of broken light exploded in his vision from the impact of the large, heavy tool to his temple.

While he was dazed, Killian took advantage and appropriated Danny's intended means of attack. Killian crab walked back a few feet from the fray, carrying the unwieldy gun with him. At a perceived safer distance, he slowly regained his footing as he pointed Danny's own weapon at him.

Danny had rolled onto his back with his knees pulled up, feet flat on the ground. When the flashes of light behind his closed eyelids subsided, he opened his eyes but had to shield them with the shadow of his forearm to help block out the obtrusive sun that was now effectually blinding him due to his supine position.

He knew his gun had been taken from him. The missing weight around his ankle was his validation. Now he was resigned to the reality that he had taken what was probably his one and only shot and failed... miserably.

The muffled banging noise coming from the building had ceased, but she had been there, in his head, constantly. Now, however, his thoughts of Grace intensified. He may have just expedited both of their death warrants.

"I'm so sorry, Grace." The father's defeated whisper was unheard in the ears of the killer.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	13. Chapter 13

"One more time." Steve was speaking out loud, but to himself. Chin turned to size up his passenger with a perplexed look. "Damn it." Steve hung up from his third attempt at calling his partner, his phone being subjected to more abuse than warranted. The call to Danny had resulted in one ring and an immediate voicemail greeting. All three times he had gotten the same result, as though duplicating the attempt would change the outcome.

"Danny not answering?" Chin asked.

"He's not only 'not answering', it's going straight to voicemail, like his phone is turned off. ... He wouldn't do that, Chin, not when he knows we could have news of Grace at any minute. I'm calling Rachel." Steve started thumbing through his contacts.

"Maybe his battery died," Chin proposed.

"Yeah, maybe." He knew his partner and knew that to be an unreasonable explanation but went along for Chin's benefit. Danny was OCD about keeping his phone charged and on him in case his kids needed him for anything. He had found Rachel's name and had placed the call. The line was ringing.

"Hello? Steve? Do you have news?" Rachel was anxious, hoping Steve was calling with good news.

"We're getting closer." Steve was purposefully vague as he was hesitant to supply information that may only get her hopes up just to lead to disappointment. "Hey, Rachel, can you put Danny on the phone? I think his phone must have died or something."

"Danny's not here. I haven't heard from him in a while."

Steve was left speechless for a moment. The gnawing in his stomach threatened all out nausea. He looked over to Chin, not really knowing what he needed from him.

"Steven? Is everything alright?" Rachel's worry began to grow.

Steve was torn. Did he ease Rachel's concern by lying to her, or should he lay all the cards on the table and dig for any information she could supply? As much as he hated to put any more stress on her, he decided to see if she knew _anything_ that could help.

Steve spoke slowly and deliberately, "Rachel, Danny told us that you had contacted him. He said you were going through a hard time and that you had asked for him to come over to help with Charlie because he was starting to sense something was wrong. Rachel, did you contact Danny?"

"No. ... I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't."

Again, words escaped him as this new information sank in. He closed his eyes and dropped his head. His best friend had lied to him. He wasn't angry, though. There was something inside that told him Danny had a good reason, but now his meager concern had completely turned to full-on worry.

"Steve?" Chin didn't have to ask based on Steve's reaction, but he did need confirmation.

Steve shook his head at Chin. His attention turned back to Rachel when he registered her speaking on the other end of the connection.

"Why would Danny tell you that? Do you have any explanation?"

"I'm not sure, but let's not make any guesses until we know the facts. We'll get a hold of him and we'll let you know as soon as we hear. Rachel, _try_ not to worry. I'm sure everything's just fine. He's probably following a lead or something. And we'll have Grace back in your arms as fast as we can." He smiled artificially, hoping Rachel would hear something that resembled optimism in his voice.

"What are you thinking?" Chin asked after Steve ended his call with Rachel.

"Probably the same thing you are. I think Grace's kidnapper contacted Danny and he went after him on his own."

Chin nodded in agreement. "I think you could be right. It makes sense. But why pull Danny into this? That completely goes against his past history."

"Maybe part of that demented 'game', as Danny calls it."

"How do you want to play this?"

Steve sighed and thought about his response. He convinced himself he was not going to languish in his worry. "Well, his phone's obviously powered off, can't trace it. I'll get HPD to see if they can locate the Camaro, that is, _if_ his GPS isn't disabled also. But for now, we stay the course. Are we getting close?"

"ETA's about five minutes."

"Good. I'll call Kono and fill her and Lou in and let them know that when we arrive, we're not only looking for Grace, but we've got to watch out for Danny too. Let's get this son of a bitch and bring our ohana home."

~~~~~H50~~~~~

As Danny's eyes adjusted, he rolled over to his knees and sluggishly made his way to his feet. He had to take one step back to steady himself from the lightheadedness afforded to him by the blow to the side of the head. Through squinted eyes, partially due to the sun and partially due to the pain, he confirmed Killian was brandishing his own gun.

"Alright. You win. What now?" Danny's resignation was evident in his words and posture as he shrugged and then immediately dropped his shoulders. He had completely exhausted his options and was now at the mercy of a psychopath... a psychopath with a gun, holding his daughter... a psychopath with all control.

While maintaining a watchful eye on Danny, Killian backed to the driver's door of the Fusion and leaned in to retrieve a stainless-steel bottle. He flung the metal container at Danny who caught it with one hand. He could feel that it was filled with liquid. He raised the bottle and his other hand in askance of the man's intentions.

"Thirsty?" Killian's question was the answer to Danny's gestured inquiry.

"Nah, I'm good." Danny pulled his arm back offering to toss the container back.

"It's a hot day. Need to stay hydrated. Go ahead... drink... while we walk." He gestured for Danny to lead the way toward the building behind him. Danny hesitated, staying put a little too long for Killian's taste. Danny could see a streak of anger flush the pale complexion on Killian's face as his chest also heaved with impatience.

"Open it," Killian growled.

Danny's eyes held contact with his adversary's as he slowly unscrewed the cap. He brought the bottle up to his lips but paused as he inhaled in anticipation of an unknown pungency. There was nothing... no odor at all. He tipped the bottle and took in his first taste.

 _Water_.

It was simply tepid, going on warm, water. Despite the temperature, the wet liquid was almost welcome in the heat. He took the one, small sip and pulled the bottle down. Killian flicked his free hand up a couple of times to indicate he wanted him to drink more. Danny reluctantly complied. Following his given cue, the two began to walk toward the hangar's walk-through door.

Danny still held the mostly empty bottle as they neared the end of the two-hundred-foot span they had just walked. They reached the shadow of the building and the refuge from the sun's rays was appreciated. He swept the back of his arm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated there before it ran into his eyes. That's when the first wave of dizziness hit. He suddenly stopped and closed his eyes to regain control of his vision. That moment of reorientation helped and he started again. When they reached the door, he turned to get the okay to enter. Killian impatiently nodded and waved the gun in that direction.

Danny tugged on the heavy door and ended up having to jerk it to make it open. The door protested with a loud squeal which led to the resumption of the banging sound he had heard before.

"Grace?" Danny turned quickly toward Killian for verification. The motion made his head start to spin again. He took one step and stopped to shake his head and rub his eyes. "Was that... ?"

"Go!" Killian's irritation continued to build.

Without Killian satisfying his need for confirmation about Grace's whereabouts, Danny turned back to assess the interior of his new surroundings. Strangely enough, the inside of the forgotten building appeared larger on the inside than it had from outside. For its age, the building had held up well. The massive open area no longer housed any aircraft, as was its original purpose. Besides stacked crates and stored 55-gallon steel drums, the only thing of size, parked inside, was the gray Chevy truck that he had seen multiple times now. Except for the missing black-and-whites sitting atop lifts, the building reminded him of Honolulu's large municipal garage that had repaired his car so many times from the abuse it had taken in the line of fire on so many cases... _Steve's fault_.

Down the left side, he now clearly saw what he thought, from his limited inspection outside, had simply been an odd protrusion that almost seemed an afterthought in architectural design. Near the doorway they had just entered, there was a small concrete staircase of about three or four steps leading to a raised walkway down the length of the building. The walk was bordered by a double layer metal hand rail. The rail had been painted multiple times. There was a myriad of different colors exposed in the chips of glossy paint layers, created from varying magnitudes of bumps, bangs, and impacts to the railing over the years. The walkway touted the access of several closed-door entryways into unseen former offices, storage areas, or communal gathering rooms. At the end of the walkway the path turned into what appeared to be another hallway, which couldn't be very long because of the size of the annex. One of those rooms could have been the source of the banging and possibly where he could find his daughter.

"Is... she here?" He didn't wait for a reply and didn't care about the consequences. "Grace?!" He yelled as loud as he could, which wasn't near what he could have done in his normal state. He grabbed at the immediate pain that ran through his head as it, in turn, lolled involuntarily, almost as in a drunken stupor. He leaned over and put both hands on his knees. "Tell... me. Where's she, you... bastard?" He was having a difficult time creating a flowing sentence, without interruption. He was cognizant of his fast, physical and mental decline but was slow to process whether it was from the blow to the head or if he had, in fact, been given something in the water he was forced to drink.

"Go ahead, Detective, give in."

Lowering himself down, Danny now rested one knee and one hand on the hard ground, fighting with every ounce to not give in to, what he was now sure was, the influence of some kind of drug. The heat and head injury may have hastened the effects. His arms began to feel numb and his movements didn't synchronize in his brain. His body was sheathed in an incredible heaviness as an inescapable somnolence threatened to overtake him.

"That's it."

"Bas... tard," he repeated and was the last thing he could get out before fully succumbing and falling the remaining distance to the cool, smooth, concrete floor.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	14. Chapter 14

The shadows had gotten longer and the temperature on this extraordinarily hot day had eased when the task force pulled up outside the large ramshackle building. Chin and Steve had arrived seconds before Lou and Kono.

There was only one other car parked outside, which seemed plausible because it appeared the lower-income quadplex was not at full occupancy. The vertical sliding windows on two of the units were open with sheer curtains blowing to the outside in the wind. An air-conditioning window unit was buzzing in a lower window with the upper portion of that half of window blocked with plywood. The other unit's window was shut up tight. The dark red siding was in disrepair and the aged metal screen door on the main entry door was hanging partially open on its hinges.

Chin was running point on the operation and directed Kono and Lou to the rear of the small apartment building. He and Steve would take the front. Even though his personality had made him disinclined to do so, Steve had willingly relinquished the lead position to Chin for the safety of his team due to his more vulnerable physical state. Like the others, Steve was geared up with tactical vest and safety equipment and held his SIG in his dominant right hand, even though his arm was still in a cast. He had, however, abandoned the sling temporarily to give him a modicum more flexibility. Even with the limitation, he still felt comfortable and confident with the handgun.

Behind the screened door, the heavy wooden front door was closed but unlocked and they easily entered. The back door was also open and accessible. Lou remained outside to prevent an attempted escape. Kono entered and saw Chin motioning for her to check the units upstairs. By default, he and Steve would check the ones downstairs.

Their vigilance... and hope... quickly faded as it became clear any potential threat, as well the presence of their missing family members, was nonexistent. As suspected, only three of the four apartment units were currently occupied. A single mother and her two children were at home in one of the upstairs units. The other upstairs unit and one downstairs were locked.

An elderly woman living in one of the downstairs apartments answered the knock on her door. Chin and Steve found out that she acted as pseudo superintendent of the building. It was evident she could not act in the full capacity of the title. With her age and frail form, she would only be able to be the eyes and ears for the landlord and possibly handle light tasks such as showings for potential renters, maintaining extra keys, and passing on complaints.

With her assistance, they were able to enter, and had found one unit completely vacated, with no belongings or furnishings or anything to indicate that anyone had even been there in a number of days, weeks, or possibly months. The other had a tenant that was not present at the time, but access inside found mail and photos that verified the information the woman had supplied; the tenant's identity was that of a younger Hawaiian man, not the man they were looking for.

They were able to determine the empty unit had last been rented by a haole about the age of Killian. Upon showing an image of the man to the woman, she was able to confirm it had been him that had occupied the place but had vacated it maybe three or four weeks before. Feeling dispirited over the failure, the four gathered outside to reevaluate their next move.

"Now what, boss?" Kono asked what they were all thinking.

Steve lifted his head and expelled a cleansing breath of air. "I don't know." The answer was more of a mumble. Normally he had the answers, the next plan of action, the next strategy, the next maneuver. However, _normally_ , he had Danny there to center him, to feed off, to argue with... to not have to worry about. His thought processes were hindered and that annoyed him.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"Danno?"

"Grace." Danny raised his head at the sound. He wondered if he heard her voice calling to him. "Baby, where are you? Are you okay? Grace?"

The vast open room was dark now. The sun must have set because the translucent ceiling panels that let sunlight in during the day, glowed a midnight blue color only letting in enough light to see forms and shadows. Danny put his hands on the step he was sitting on to boost himself up. His right hand touched a long, cold, cylinder-shaped object. He picked it up and discovered, more from feeling than from seeing, it was a flashlight. He stood up with the new tool and potential weapon in his hand and slid the switch on the side of the light. Somewhat to his surprise, the thing actually came on. Now he had both a literal and figurative ray of light to motivate and lead the way.

He walked in the direction he thought he had heard his daughter's voice. He felt he had gone about two thirds of the length of the building when he heard, "Danno! Help me."

It was her. He hadn't been imagining it. "Grace, I'm coming, baby. Where are you?" Danny had been going in the correct, general direction but had to adjust course to his right a bit more.

His beam of light, shining onto the floor, fell on a long narrow impression up ahead. He surmised it was an inspection pit of some sort, much like they have in auto repair shops. He hadn't seen it before and wondered if those were also used for aircraft repair.

Danny sped up his steps as he neared the pit. When he reached it, he shined his light into the void. Lying at the bottom was the form of a girl Grace's size, wearing the same clothes Grace had been wearing, but it couldn't be Grace. He had just heard her calling to him.

The girl had her right arm draped over her stomach and her left arm was lying limply out to her side. The girl's identity was concealed by a mask she was wearing. Danny held onto the ladder attached to the side of the pit and jumped in. He approached the unmoving figure and bent down beside her. In perceived slow motion, he reached for the obnoxious, mocking mask and slowly pulled it up and off the girl's face. He fell backwards with a start, having to put his hand behind him to catch himself before falling on his backside. He scrambled backwards in shock but was stopped by the wall of the narrow pit. Not yet regaining his footing, he shifted forward onto his knees.

"Grace!"

It was his daughter, lying in the bottom of this concrete trough... lifeless. He jumped into action. He flung the grinning mask that he still held in his hand away from them and grabbed Grace into his arms. "Grace. Monkey. Come on, talk to me. I'm here. Your Danno's here now. I can take you home. Wake up, Grace. Grace! Wake up!" He partially relinquished his hold on her to free one of his hands and gently placed his fingers on the cold, soft skin on her neck. He felt nothing, so he closed his eyes to heighten his sense of touch and dampen all the other senses. Still nothing.

Before he could react, he felt a cold liquid licking at his firmly planted knees as he held his daughter on his lap. He briefly glanced to his right to see a dark algae-covered liquid ebbing toward him. Then, almost simultaneously, he heard laughter coming from above him. He looked up to see Hollis Killian standing on the hangar floor above them looking down on him and his daughter. He held the mask that Danny had just tossed away and laughed at him and his despair and anguish.

Danny looked down onto the shadowed face of his daughter and tears began to well. "Grace. Grace!" Without caring about his audience, he shouted his daughter's name in desperation... ...

"Danno! Danno, it's me. I'm right here. Wake up!"

"Grace?"

"Yes, it's me."

Danny weakly forced his eyes open.

Grace was still trying to be strong for her dad, but one tear of relief escaped and fell down her cheek. "Are you okay?"

Danny opened his eyes wider. He, too, felt a flood of relief wash over him at the sight of his daughter sitting in front of him. He realized he must have been dreaming... enduring a nightmare, more accurately. But he needed to make sure he was really awake this time, that Grace was truly alive and not a cruel apparition. "Gra..." His dry mouth halted his attempt at talking. He had to swallow and try again. "Grace?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm here."

Danny closed his eyes, dropped his chin, and choked back a sob. That didn't last, though, as he needed to see his baby girl again, to see she was alright and there in front of him and talking to him. She wasn't close enough to touch though. He wasn't able to reach out his arms and enfold her in a hug that he craved. His awareness began to sharpen as the haziness faded, so that he was able make sense of his circumstances.

He was sitting upright on the floor of the hangar he had entered earlier. He had no idea how long ago that had been, but the light had definitely faded, not as much as in his nightmare, but it was obviously later. His back was against the wall of the raised walkway on the inside of the building. His hands were restrained above and behind his head, secured around one of the vertical posts of the metal handrail. He tested the hold. It was tight.

As his recollection of the events earlier in the day came back to him, his heart rate increased and he looked around for the author of this fiasco and eminent threat, Killian. Seeing as they appeared to be alone, his attention turned back to Grace. She was sitting across from him in a chair. Her arms were pulled behind her back. She could not get to him either.

"Monkey, you okay?"

She simply nodded. If she tried to say anything right now, she might start bawling, so she held back to compose herself first. Even with her father there with her, she had felt alone while he had been unconscious. Now that he was awake, she had to readjust her state of mind.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Again, just a shake of the head.

"'kay." More relief overtook Danny as he continued to let his reassurances sink in. After a few more moments he asked, "Is he here?"

Another small shake of the head followed but she had calmed herself to add, "After he brought me out here, he left. I don't know where he went or when he'll be back. Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

"I'm fine." _This isn't good. I'm turning into Steve._ He ignored the dull throb in his head. His mental respite was brief as he stuck with his fib. "He didn't do anything."

"You're bleeding... your head."

"I'm okay, just a little bump." He tried to change the subject slightly. "I think he put something in the water he gave me. Just feeling a little groggy."

"Who is he, Danno? What does he want? What's he going to do with us and Uncle Steve?" Her questions started to pour out uninhibitedly.

"Uncle Steve? Wait... Grace, what are you talking about?" A sharp pang of foreboding hit him square on. He wondered what he had missed while being out of it. He recalled Killian's words on the phone, ' _Just you for now'_. Had Steve somehow been brought into this, too?

"Who is he? What does he want with us?"

"You said 'Uncle Steve'. What are you talking about?"

"He's got Uncle Steve too. I haven't seen him, though. I don't know where he is... or if... he's okay."

"Where is this coming from? Is that what he told you?"

"Mm...hm. He said he would hurt Uncle Steve if I didn't come with him. He showed me a picture on his phone. It looked like he was hurt... or worse." She couldn't bring herself to say what she was thinking.

Putting together the timing of events, Danny breathed out a sigh of relief and grinned. "No, baby, it's okay. Your Uncle Steve is okay... and he's going to find us."

"What?" Grace began to cry in earnest now. "But I saw the picture. You're sure?"

"Baby, the man that took you is one of the bad guys that Steve and I were trying to hunt down. His name is Hollis Killian. He's done some bad stuff, including hurting Uncle Steve. You know his messed up arm?"

She nodded and sniffed.

"That was him. He must have taken that picture the night he hurt Steve and used it to make you think he had him now, but he doesn't. Uncle Steve's fine. He'll probably be busting through that door Rambo-style anytime now. Don't worry."

"Rambo?"

"Yeah, you know the... never mind."

She tentatively offered a smile as her acceptance of her father's words. Her lowered anxiety level, however, reignited at hearing a sound coming from the door. She and her dad both turned their heads in unison to see who was entering.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	15. Chapter 15

"Thanks, Duke. Let us know if you find out anything else."

The Five-0 team still lingered outside the apartment building. "Did Duke have any new information that could help us?" Lou asked as Steve leaned against Chin's car and pocketed his phone.

"Grace's phone had come online for two minutes and twelve seconds. The only call was to Danny's phone... right about the time he took off."

"Were they able to trace its location?" Chin wondered.

"Just to the tower which was nearest to where they found Danny's car."

"They found the Camaro?" Lou was hopeful.

"It's parked at the bus station, empty, no sign of Danny anywhere around."

"Bus station?" Kono found the location odd. "Do you think he was instructed to take a bus somewhere?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

"There are cameras at the bus station. Let's pull the footage and see what we come up with. Maybe we can find out if he got on one of the buses and if so, which one, and where it was headed," Chin offered.

"And we need to check his office. That's where he was contacted. He got that text and went there for privacy. Maybe he left something. Let's get on it. Meet you guys back at headquarters," Steve spoke to Kono and Lou as he started to get into the Mustang. Kono and Lou nodded and left before Chin and Steve.

Chin was getting into his car when Steve noticed the older of the children that lived in the upper occupied apartment unit come out and walk away from the building. The boy went to a shed that sat in the shade of trees at the edge of the property. The rusted metal building was small and inconspicuous in the camouflage of the shrubbery around it. The boy pushed the already partially open, sliding door and bent down and retrieved a well-worn and not fully inflated soccer ball. He immediately began kicking the ball around the uncooperative taller grass. The boy seemed oblivious to the less-than-ideal conditions for playing with the ball.

"Hold up a minute, Chin." Steve reached over and laid his hand on Chin's, who was about to turn the key in the ignition. He then opened the car door and got out and started walking toward the boy. The boy saw the authoritative figure coming toward him and he picked up his ball and put it protectively under his arm and stared at Steve. Steve neared him and knelt down to the boy's level, so he wouldn't be so imposing, and rested his injured arm on his knee.

"Hi. My name is Steve. What's your name?" Steve smiled so as to not intimidate the boy.

"Pua."

Steve's smile widened. "You know what? I have a friend named Pua. How about that?"

The boy reservedly smiled.

"He's a police officer and I'm kind of like a... a special police officer. See." He reached down and removed his badge and held it up for Pua to see.

Pua hesitantly laid one finger on the badge, as if to see if it was real. He removed his finger and looked back at Steve.

"I was wondering if you could help us, Pua? I saw you got your ball out of that shed." Steve pointed in the outbuilding's direction without looking away from Pua. "Is there more stuff in there?"

The boy nodded.

"Is it just for you and your mom or do other people use it?"

"Anybody that lives here can use it," Pua meekly answered. "There's my sister's scooter, Keoni's surfboard..." Steve remembered Keoni as being the name of the younger tenant downstairs. "...that man's toolbox..."

"What man, Pua?" Steve interrupted his listing.

"The man that used to live upstairs. He left it when he moved out."

"Can you show me?" He stood and turned toward Chin and motioned for him to join them.

Chin caught up with Steve and the boy as they arrived at the storage building. Steve pushed the door the remaining distance open. The sound of the objecting rubbing metal was shrill and offensive, like fingernails on blackboard. He shined his flashlight around the inside of it.

Pua pointed in the back corner at the large black metal box. "That's it."

Since Steve was holding the flashlight with his good hand, Chin stepped in and pulled a glove from the vest he still wore and without putting it on, wrapped it around the handle of the toolbox. He hauled the heavy article into the waning daylight outside.

Steve laid his flashlight on the ground and took the latex glove from Chin. "Chin, this is Pua."

Chin raised his eyebrows at the recognition of the familiar name. "Well, hello Pua, my name is Chin Ho Kelly." Chin held out his hand to shake the boy's small hand in introduction. Still holding the soccer ball under one arm, he accepted Chin's hand in greeting.

"Are you a special police officer, too?" Pua asked.

Chin glanced at Steve before turning back to Pua with an understanding smile. "Well, yes, I guess I am."

"Chin, can you take Pua up to his mom and make sure she has our contact info and get hers as well in case we need it?"

"Sure thing. Come on, Pua."

Before they were too far away, Steve called out, "Hey, thanks, Pua. You were a big help."

The boy turned and proudly smiled at him, but said nothing in return.

With the child away, Steve felt more at ease opening the box, not knowing what he would find in it. Thankfully, there was no lock that he would have to shoot off. Steve grinned at the thought of Danny hurling a derogatory name and rolling his eyes, if he had been there, and that had been the case. Steve manipulated the latches and opened the box.

In it, he found what his and any other grease monkey, car junkie's tool box would contain. Steve didn't know what he _would_ find, but was hopeful there would be _something_ that would help in their investigation. At first glance at the contents, another wave of disappointment started to get him down. Then he lifted the tray to see what was in the bottom compartment. He immediately recognized something a bit more unusual than your typical mechanic's toolbox would contain.

Chin was walking back in his direction, without the company of Pua this time. As he approached he asked, "Find anything?"

"Maybe? See that." He stood and pointed at an unusually shaped, large metal object that resembled a deformed lug wrench.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"A cylinder wrench... Lycoming more specifically. It's used in aircraft maintenance."

"Aircraft? Why would he have one of those?"

"Not sure yet. Let's get back to HQ and see what Lou and Kono's got and we'll get this to the lab."

Chin took over again, closing and loading the toolbox into his trunk. The two men left to join their team.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Hollis Killian came in through the door and turned and made sure it was securely closed behind him. He still wore his ball cap and sunglasses even though the day was getting darker outside.

"I see you woke up." He looked only at Danny while removing the sunglasses, as if Grace wasn't even in the room.

"What, you forgot your smiley face? Had to wear shades instead?" Danny taunted.

Killian's frown morphed into a smile. He enjoyed Danny's gall. "Did you have a good visit? See, I lived up to my promise. Didn't I? I decided not to make you wait after all, even though you had been a bad boy."

Grace looked at her father with a confused look.

Killian continued, "If you've had enough time with your daughter, I was thinking you and I should have a talk, just the two of us."

Danny glanced at Grace before looking back at Killian. Grace's eyes had widened and Danny just wanted to put his arms around her to help alleviate her fear. He fidgeted with his restraints again but there was no give.

"Let's just get your little girl out of here, shall we?" Killian pulled out a box knife and engaged the blade.

"You son of a bitch, if you hurt her, there's no hole deep enough that you can crawl into to hide."

Killian grinned and went behind Grace and cut the tape around her wrists. He grabbed one of her arms and pulled her in the direction of the steps. She pleadingly stared after her father as they left the area.

"It's okay, Monkey. Don't be scared." He tried to ease her fears the only way he could. They went to the walkway and passed behind Danny on the way to the room she had been held in earlier. "Remember what I said. Everything's going to be fine!"

Danny continued to struggle, wildly now, but with no success. He couldn't see, from where he was sitting, but heard a door slam closed and then a click, he guessed from a lock. Not even a couple minutes later, Killian was in front of Danny. He took the chair that Grace had been sitting in and turned it around and straddled the seat so he could lean on the backrest and have a better, slightly elevated view of Danny.

"Now that we have some privacy, I thought we'd get to know each other a bit better." Killian saw that Danny was struggling to look behind him to see where Grace had been taken. "Don't worry. She's fine. You're so antsy."

Danny was actually more comfortable with Grace out of the room while Killian was present. "Alright fine, so, what's your play?" Danny started.

"No pun intended?"

"Sure. What's up with that anyway? What's with... your obsession?"

"You call it obsession. I call it reparation... atonement, if you will. I needed to make it all right."

"I assume you're referring to your mother. You call killing innocent people making it 'all right'?

"They had it coming, all of them. They don't live in reality."

 _And you do?_ Danny bridled his tongue before he spoke his thoughts aloud. Danny couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I never understood why she needed it. She needed to become someone else to feel alive. She didn't care about me, you know. She'd lock me in my room while she was gone... you know... for my ' _safety'_. I'd go days with just watered-down Kool Aid, peanut butter and crackers, and every now and then, on good days, I might get some cheese or lunchmeat. She'd be gone every night and come home afterwards, many times drunk. She'd pass out on the couch and not wake up til..." Killian paused and stared up at a phantasmal point behind Danny.

Wherever he had been in his head, he came back and literally shook his head to get back on track. "I was on my own, from as early as I can remember. Then she had that little brat. She just screwed a director for a part... well she thought. Hmm." He smirked. "Didn't even get that. Thought she'd at least sucker the guy into a marriage since she was carrying his kid... nope. Took his name all the same though, as if they did marry, just playing another damned character. Then it was the two of us by ourselves. She didn't care."

"So, you took care of your brother?"

"Oh, you already know about Beck? It wasn't like I was Mr. Mom or anything. I kept him alive... until I almost didn't. She was gone one time for eleven days. I counted. We almost starved. Then, when she did come home... well, she had it coming."

 _There was that phrase again_. "What do you mean 'she had it coming'?" Danny remembered what Kono had told them; Beatrice Thomason had hanged herself.

"I was thirteen, Beckett was five. She was passed out one night... and I got rid of her."

"You killed you own mother." Danny made the comment a statement, out of realization, instead of a question.

"They put Beck and me in different shitty homes and I didn't really catch up with him again until he turned eighteen and was on his own."

Killian stood and turned his back to Danny but continued talking after a few minutes of silence.

"The first one was easier than I thought... maybe because of Beatrice before them. Beckett didn't want to do it so I took over. But he was always there. He even tried to talk me out of it sometimes, no... every time, but they deserved it."

"You're telling me that Beckett Thomason didn't kill those people?"

Killian turned back to face Danny. "He didn't."

"He was indicted. He probably would have been convicted and would have been sent to prison for life or _maybe_ even gotten the death penalty." Danny wasn't sure of Indiana's capital punishment laws. Still, he was shocked.

"Yeah, too bad he didn't make it to find out, huh? I guess, in hindsight, it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

Danny's jaw literally dropped and he for once didn't know what to say.

"He thought I gave a rat's ass for him... thought he owed me for raising him or something. That's why he told them he did it... stupid idiot... he had it coming to him."

"Why are we here, Hollis? Are you planning on killing us too?"

"... I am."

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey, d'you guys get sidetracked?" Kono asked as Steve and Chin entered the office.

"Well, you might say that," Chin answered his cousin. "Pua helped us find something else to check out."

"Pua? Officer Kai?" Kono looked puzzled.

Chin smiled. "No, Pua happens to be the oldest child that lives in the upstairs apartment. After you left, he helped us find a toolbox that belonged to Killian when he lived there. Steve thinks there may be something inside that can help us."

Steve took over the explanation. "Yeah, there's a cylinder wrench called a Lycoming that we found in the toolbox. It's used in aircraft maintenance."

Chin added, "A little obscure but worth looking into more."

Lou came out of Danny's office and joined the others. He laid Danny's gun and phone on the table in front of the team. "That's all I found. Nothing else unusual. But this proves to me that our boy was coerced into this and we could be running out of time."

Steve pressed his lips together, trying not to be taken in by looming dread. "Did you all get anything from the video footage?"

"We did, in fact. Take a look at this." Kono was the one who answered and sent the footage to the big screen for everyone to see.

Lou jumped in with his commentary. "Here we've got Danny doing an Earnhardt impression coming into the lot at the station."

"Danny would say 'McGarrett impression'," Chin interjected.

"Or that." Lou wrinkled his forehead and submitted one hand in agreement.

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Here he's running up to this Fusion. He talks to the driver a second, then gets in and they drive off."

"Did we get a plate?" Steve asked.

"Yes, but it came back as stolen."

"Okay. What about traffic cameras? Did we pick it up on any of those?"

"The car took the H3 headed toward..."

"Let me guess, Kailua?" Steve assumed.

Lou nodded. "We lost it on the other side of the tunnels."

Steve stood with his hands resting at his waist. The sling he had doffed earlier was still missing. His eyes were fixed on nothing in particular as he tried to make sense of the limited info they had.

"Steve, I've got an idea." Chin spoke up and interrupted the silence.

"I'll take anything right about now. What are you thinking?"

"Well, it's not there anymore, but I've heard that at one time, there used to be a small airfield on the south side of what's now the Marine Corps Base, just north of Kailua. Commercial and residential development has since overtaken the area, but there may be a remnant building or two remaining from the original site."

Steve's eyes became unfocused while mentally sorting through the promising new intelligence. His casted hand came up and he scratched below his bottom lip with his thumb as he thought. He spoke through the tail end of his cognitive processing. "'kay. Okay. That could be it. I've heard of that place too. If he did find a spot to lay low like that, it could be where he would have gotten that wrench, or probably the whole toolbox."

"But how are we going to find one of these buildings, if it even exists?" Kono asked.

Steve hastened toward his office as he answered, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna make a call."

In a few minutes time, he came through his office door with a small piece of paper. "Got an address. Let's go."

The others gave each other the of-course-he-did look and they geared up and were gone once again.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"Oh, okay. So, I guess we 'have it coming'." Danny snarked. "Look, I'm really sorry you went through what you did, but you know, just because you had a disastrous childhood doesn't make it everybody else's fault."

"This isn't about 'fault', Detective. Don't you see, that whole world, it forces people to be someone they're not. Those people forsake their own freakin' identity for what... self-esteem? And it doesn't matter who else gets hurt. It turns them into self-centered monsters."

_Monsters?_ Danny couldn't believe the irony. "You're... no, it doesn't." He stopped himself from calling Killian crazy but gave a weak response as a result.

Noticing it was getting difficult to see his captive face to face, Killian stepped closer and picked up a wand lighter from the top of the solitary drum. He squatted down and lit two partially burned pillar candles that were sitting on the floor not far from Danny. He stood, now towering over Danny.

"There, that's better."

Danny tried to reposition himself but was unsuccessful. His arms were cramping and growing numb in the uncomfortable position. "Is that what you think? Your mother was a monster? Your mother had a _sickness_ , an illness she couldn't help. If it wasn't acting, it would have been something else."

"You're wrong! I should know. I was there, not you!" Killian was angered that Danny was trying to twist his thoughts. "You think you're so smart... you and all your smartass cop friends. It was a coincidence that girl's dad was a cop, captain even. I didn't plan that. He wouldn't quit... and when they _did_ arrest Beck, they were all so smug, slapping each other on the back. They thought they had really done something, but they 'got their man' and quit. Didn't even realize they'd gotten the wrong person."

"Is that why I'm here, Hollis? You're not even getting payback, you're just wanting to show us, don't you? Show us we're not so smart. Is that it? Is that why you brought Five-0 into this... the governor's task force no less?"

"Shut it!"

"I hit a nerve. Didn't I?"

Killian took a step closer to Danny and squatted down next to his outstretched legs so he could look him in the face. "You'll see how smart you are. You'll watch your daughter die and you'll see how smart you are."

Danny's jaw clenched. He gritted his teeth as he wanted to come back at this threat with a verbal vengeance. Instead he inhaled calmly, deliberately, swallowing his rage. "Look, it's not too late. Why don't you let me help you? I have connections and we can get you in to see..."

"A shrink? Like I said I am not stupid... and I am _not crazy_!"

"No... no." Danny hung and shook his head, desperate to make some kind of breakthrough. His voice was gravelly and came across almost as an indistinct mumble. "I know that. I didn't mean that." Danny raised his head again to look at Killian to gauge a reaction.

It did appear that he had calmed. The expression on Killian's face relaxed. "You said 'governor's task force'. You act like that's why I'm here... in Hawaii. Get over yourself, Detective." He smirked and hmphed in indignation.

"So, why are you here? Why'd ya have to come _here_?" Danny's wishful, counterfactual fantasy would include this man never invading the lives of his family.

"Remember, you asked me if I had any kids and I said I had a son. That's true. That's why I'm here. His mother was from this island and he lives here now. He doesn't know I exist but I wanted to see him, and I have."

"While you were here, you figured you'd just pick back up where you left off in Indy?"

"Well, it's not as simplistic as that. There were others... some side roads along the way, but, yes, in a nutshell. This place has always been my destination."

"So, it ends here?"

"You mean am I willing to die here?" Killian appeared to take a minute to mull over the suggestion. "That's the way I see it. I'm okay with that."

"Then why don't you undo me and I'll just take care of that for you?"

Killian grinned, "Sorry. You've become my last project. You see, your team isn't the reason I came to the islands, but after I got here and heard so much about your little band of do-gooders, I couldn't help myself and then the luck of the draw when I found out about your sweet little girl and her 'hobby'. I just couldn't help myself."

"Look, why don't you let Grace go? You've got me. She's done nothing. Just let her go." Danny had run the gamut. He didn't know of another angle to try.

"Don't ya see? I want you to watch. It'll be her final performance and you get to be the audience. You know I've used a lot of methods, but I've never used starvation... or dehydration. What do you think, five days? A week? It's already been over 24 hours."

Once again, Danny's anger propelled him into a fit of struggling with his bonds.

"Now, now. No need for all that. Just sit back and relax and enjoy the show. Me and Beck made it eleven days, but then we also had water and scraps to get us through."

"I swear to you, and all that is holy, you will not get away with this. You are a dead man. I _will_ kill you."

Killian stood again and held the back of the chair. "Eh, don't think so. I promise, I'll make it faster for you, when your time comes. Then, it didn't work out the first time around, but I think I'll have another go at your boss next. Then, we'll see where it goes from there. There are more on your team? Any others will just be icing on the proverbial cake. Should be exciting. Do you agree?"

Danny shook his head. "Won't happen." He then smiled as if Killian was out of the loop of a secret only he knew. His confidence egged him on. "You're going down first."

"Alright, Detective. This has been most entertaining, but I think it's about time you join your daughter. So, I'm going to need you to partake of some more of my special nightcap."

"Go to hell!"

"Not yet." Killian produced the same container as before and approached Danny. Expecting his resistance, he grabbed Danny by the hair and pulled his head back and poured the liquid into his mouth. Danny fought back and much of the formulation spilled onto his face and the floor. When he was released, Danny sputtered and spit out what he could. Killian went back a second time and repeated the process again but this time using his hand to clamp Danny's jaw shut until he swallowed. Danny attempted to twist and fight out of his clutch but ultimately his limited mobility proved to be too much.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Darkness had overtaken the night sky. The waxing crescent of the moon was providing only a little bit of mutating light as the clouds passed overhead. The vehicles turned out their headlights just shy of their destination. They rolled up and parked on the outskirts of the property. Once again, it was only the immediate team. The plan was for a surgical strike and they did not want to alert Killian of their arrival.

The building in front of them was dark and foreboding. There was no visible light and no sounds emanating from it. After their failure earlier that day, Steve's pessimistic side wanted to persuade him that this was another futile undertaking, but he had to see it through. This was all they had right now.

Chin motioned his go to Kono and Lou with two fingers, in the direction of the left side of the building. They disappeared around the corner and Chin nodded to Steve that it was their turn to approach. Steve returned the gesture as his acknowledgement. He was primed and more than ready. It was time to bring his ohana home.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	17. Chapter 17

"Let's go. You're about half way there. Bottoms up." Killian taunted Danny, trying to get him to continue to drink. Danny was beginning to feel that fuzziness again, something akin to a buzz from a couple of beers and a stiff shot or two of something a little more powerful.

From his vantage point, standing over Danny, Killian had a sliver of a view to the outside through the skinny vertical window in the heavy metal door they had used earlier. The quickest of flashes caught his attention in his peripheral vision. He first thought of the fireflies that were common this time of year in Indiana. There was definitely plenty of their preferred habitat of foliage surrounding them. That's what helped make this place so secluded while still being in the middle of everything. Then he remembered that those insects are not found in Hawaii. A feeling of apprehension gripped him.

He had only been able to give Danny half of the incapacitating concoction but decided he didn't want to take any chances. He would go ahead and get Danny into the room with his daughter and then investigate further.

"Alright, Danny boy, let's go." He maneuvered behind him and pulled out the box cutter once again. He cut through the multiple thick layers of the gaffer tape he had used to secure Danny's wrists to the bar of the handrail.

Danny's numbed arms fell into his lap with the heaviness of their weight, but even with the partial anesthetized feeling, the pain from the change after the long span in such an uncomfortable position elicited a moan and caused a distorted grimace to cross his face. He would have tried to work the soreness out with his hands, but it took too much effort to lift them again. He felt a strong grip wrap around and under his arm. The tug wasn't enough to get him to his feet but his intuition told him his handler expected some mutual cooperation.

He complied as best as possible with the assisted hoist from above, forcing his unstable legs to push up to standing. Maybe because he wasn't thinking straight, or maybe because he was, his nature took advantage of his newly attained unfettered condition and reacted.

In the past, there had, unfortunately, been more times than he would care to admit, that he had experienced a similar inebriated impairment, but it had always been on his own terms, whether for entertainment, leisure, social expectation, or especially during his divorce... escape. A very small percentage of _those_ times, he had been thrown into an unsought and unanticipated skirmish. He concluded that the innate capacity to exchange blows is not _that_ inhibited by an intoxicant and in some cases, may be bolstered.

Danny drew from this experience and threw his elbow into the nasal area of his captor's face. He heard the familiar sound of crunching bone and cartilage, confirming he had broken Killian's nose. A couple of steady thin stripes of blood dripped down Killian's face and over his mouth. He turned and took advantage of the moment, and with his still tightly bundled fist, swung with as much force as he could summon. The inhibited punch, intended for the nose again, landed off target but effectively, square on the jaw.

Killian was able to stop his fall, landing no farther than his knees. What Danny hadn't considered in his off-the-cuff plan was that his previous sparring partners were also on similar inebriated planes as he. The completely sober Killian, however, quickly recovered and grabbed the top edge of the metal drum that was being used as a table, to aid him in standing and in his adrenaline-fueled rush pushed against it to propel him forward. He tackled Danny to the ground. With Danny pinned and debilitated, Killian owned his turn and proficiently landed his share of blows. Danny lay in a fully conscious but dazed, drugged exhaustion.

Danny sensed a reprieve as he was not manhandled for several seconds, or was it minutes. He wondered where Killian had gone and his mind flew to Grace. He tried to ease himself onto his elbows, then cursed when what should have been a small feat, turned into a major undertaking. An unrecognized stench began to fill his nostrils, and he snarled his nose in distaste for the new unwelcome sensory infusion.

Danny's attention was quickly diverted away from the smell when, to his relief, he discovered Grace was not with Killian when he returned. He was obviously not yet finished with Danny as he was flipped onto his stomach and once again secured with the damnable tape.

His consent was not demanded or required when Killian once again yanked him to his feet. The strong grip under his arm persisted as he was pulled toward Killian's truck.

_Wait. He was supposed to be taking him to Grace. Grace was in the other direction. What had changed?_

The truck that had once been in the dark shadows, began to appear more visible. A light was now shining on it, a light that seemed to be growing in brightness.

Killian turned Danny around and pushed his back up against the truck. He held one hand on Danny's chest, helping him to stay on his feet as he opened the door with the other hand. It was at that point that Danny could see the source of the newly introduced light. He realized the source of the light was also the source of the foul odor he noticed moments ago.

Killian had toppled the metal drum over in their short-lived scuffle. Its liquid contents had poured out of the spout on the top and coursed across the floor. One of the candles had also tipped in the fray and the flammable contents was steadily igniting, following the spill, nearing the stored crates. The size of the flame grew as the fuel fed it.

"Grace..." Danny muttered, aware of and hating the loss of command of his own being.

"Sorry. Change of plans. Didn't work out. Not this ti..."

The loud squeal from the heavy walk-through door broke through the quiet and interrupted his counterfeit expression of regret to Danny. His head jerked in the direction of the noise.

Danny also heard the noise but didn't know what it was, or didn't care, as he was having trouble processing the events taking place after getting tuned up and as the drug in his system took further hold.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Steve had grimaced at the door's uncooperative loud sound that thwarted the stealth of the operation. However, the deed was done and the only option was to carry on. Once again, Chin was first through the door, running point, but was followed closely by Steve.

"Steve..." Chin's whispered alert of the fire wasn't necessary. Steve had seen the obvious, but unexpected, added hindrance to the successful completion of their mission.

"I see it. Stay the course," Steve encouraged.

The sound of the door had alerted Killian and his attention was drawn to Steve, being the leader of the Five-0 team. He pulled Danny's subcompact nine-millimeter from the seat of his truck, where he had stashed it earlier, and immediately fired in Steve's direction. Having somewhat of an aversion to the lazy man's weapon, he was not adept in marksmanship and the inadequate light didn't help. Chin took a hit to his hip and fell.

"Chin!" Steve yelled out as he ducked down to evade the shots being fired in their direction. He instinctively stepped in front of Chin's prostrate body as an inadequate excuse for a shield. Steve's eyes widened as he, possibly unwisely but involuntarily, turned back to check on his friend.

He could see a growing pool of blood but was relieved to see a fully responsive Chin had pushed himself up and was rolling over to a semi-seated position on the floor. Chin grabbed at the wound on his side, and with his other arm and legs, was able to scramble backwards toward a more realistic shield of the metal drums stashed along the wall.

"I'm okay." Chin knew Steve needed to hear those words.

...

"Steve?"

...

Steve was yet to put his eyes on his partner in the limited and flickering light and commotion, but he was sure he heard Danny's voice say his name. His pessimistic dread of yet another dead end dissipated in an instant. If the shower of bullets hadn't proven it, that voice did. They were at the right location. Even with the situation looking dire, he still felt reenergized at hearing the familiar, although wrecked, voice.

Steve holstered his weapon and grabbed Chin's arm with his good one and helped him the rest of the way as they took cover behind the drums. He reached behind him and took a QuikClot package out of one of the compartments of his tac vest. After using his teeth to rip the top of the package off, he lifted Chin's hand off the wound and firmly placed the sponge directly in the same spot. He replaced Chin's hand on top of the bandage and grabbed his other hand and placed it top of that.

"There, now, can you keep pressure on it?" Steve worriedly questioned, making direct eye contact, wanting to make sure his friend was stabilized before turning his attention in another direction.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. You, uh, keep first aid supplies with you now?" Chin attempted to add some lighthearted energy to the situation.

Steve nodded. "Talk to my partner about that, will ya?"

Chin smiled, "I'll be sure to thank him."

Steve looked back in the direction of the truck. Not wanting to return fire with Danny in harm's way, he yelled out, "Danny?!"

Danny was being pushed into the passenger seat of the truck but he, too, had heard his name from a familiar voice which validated his suspicion. He allowed himself only a second to smile at the thought of his predictable partner bursting in to the rescue. His foggy brain didn't respond to Steve's direct appeal but was only able to call up enough strength to communicate his sole priority.

"Steve... the fire... get... Grace!"

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Not knowing for sure if they were even in the right place, Lou and Kono were working solely on suspicion and hoping for a little luck. They had dismissed the failure from earlier in the day. They had to put that out of their minds and treat their latest assumption as a foregone conclusion. They were going to concentrate on the objective that Steve had given them, find and secure Grace.

Lou nodded at Kono that he was ready. They had breached the back entrance of the abandoned hangar undetected and had made it to the first door they came to. They saw the flickering reflections at the end of the hallway and smelled smoke and knew that timing had just become a much more urgent factor.

Kono tried the knob and found it to give. She pushed the door inward as Lou bounded in with his handgun drawn and ready. The small room was dark but with the aid of their lights, it was quickly determined to be nothing but a supply closet.

Stepping back and not closing the door completely to avoid any unnecessary noise, the pair made their way to the next door. Again, Lou lined up outside the door and nodded at Kono. The briefest of moments of eye contact between the two put an exclamation point on their readiness, and again, Kono tried the knob, this time with a different result. The door was locked.

In the same instant, they whipped their heads toward the echoing sound of gun shots. Kono put her hand to her ear.

"Steve, you copy?" Several seconds passed with no answer so she tried again. "Steve?"

"I'm here, Kono," Steve whispered as he pushed the button on his earpiece establishing the connection.

"You guys alright? We heard shots."

"Chin caught one in the side but it doesn't appear to be bad."

"What?! Steve, are you sure he's okay?"

"Yeah, I'm with him. He should be fine. We'll get him some help. Listen, Kono, I need you to focus. There's a fire out here."

"Yep, we saw the light from it and the smoke's starting to float our way."

"If it gets to the annex, that old wood will go fast. Did you have any luck with finding Grace? We have to get her out of here... for Danny."

Grace didn't knock. She was afraid to. She had heard the gunshots, but she had also heard what she thought to be her Aunt Kono's voice through the door.

"Auntie Kono, is that you?" she ventured. She tried, but she couldn't get her voice to go much more than a whisper.

While Kono still held the connection with Steve, Lou had heard the girl's voice through the door. "Grace? Sweetie? It's Captain Grover."

Kono turned back to look at Lou when she heard his words. He nodded at her in confirmation. "Steve, we found her."

A fleeting smile crossed Steve's face, knowing that they were near securing what was most important to his partner, and therefore, to him as well. The next priority was going to be getting Danny back, safe and sound.

"Kono, you get Grace out of here and make sure she's safe. Send Lou over to help Chin. I'm going after Danny."

"Copy... be careful, boss."

"Grace! I need you to get away from the door. We're gonna get you out of there!" Lou yelled through the door.

"Okay. I'm back!" Feeling assured, Grace was able to raise her voice now.

Lou holstered his handgun and pulled out his shotgun. He held it from a side angle and blew the lock off. Kono was in the door first and enfolded Grace in her arms. Grace shed a few tears but quickly wiped them away.

"We gotcha, Grace. Everything's going to be okay," Kono consoled the girl.

Lou stepped in and took a moment to take his turn at a hug. "Hey, Princess, you okay? Let me look at you." He stepped back and brushed her hair out of her face, giving her a broad, reassuring smile. He couldn't help but remember the moment he got to hug Samantha after she had been taken from him and then safely returned. Grace looked tired and scared, but she looked good. Lou felt a cautious sense of relief.

"Captain Grover, where's Danno? I want to see my dad."

Lou looked to Kono in an unspoken plea for words he couldn't find as he pulled Grace close to him once more for another hug. Kono bent her knees just enough to be able to look Grace face to face and took one of her hands in both of hers. Lou stepped back so Kono could take over.

"Grace, you'll get to see your dad soon. Okay? Right now, we need to get you out of here. That's what your dad would want." Glancing up at Lou, she continued, "Captain Grover's going to go help Uncle Chin and Uncle Steve get your dad back to you. Okay? You and I are going to blow this joint. Sound good?"

Grace nodded.

"Do you think you can be strong for me just a little bit longer?"

Grace sniffled and nodded.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

Kono smiled warmly at Grace's bravery and fortitude, obviously derived directly from her headstrong father. "Okay, then. Let's go." Without relinquishing hold of her hand, Kono stood fully and nodded to Lou that she had the situation under control and he was free to help Chin. After checking the dark hallway, they stepped out of the room and headed in different directions.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

The slick concrete floor gave little traction to the truck's tires. The resulting insufferable squeal was Steve's cue.

"Lou will be right here. Will you be alright?" Steve entreated.

"I'm okay. Steve, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going after Danny." He rested his casted hand on Chin's shoulder and allowed a couple of seconds of reassurance before getting to his feet.

Chin knew there was no stopping him. "Don't do anything crazy!" Chin threw out as an afterthought.

"You sound like Danny!" Steve yelled out without looking back as he left the protection of the metal drums and took off in the direction of the revving truck.

The truck was speeding toward Steve. He stood right in its direct path, in the center of the large opening where the two horizontally sliding hangar doors met. Though not yet fully engulfed, the majority of the wooden crates stored in the far corner had already been ignited. Heat radiated from the direction of the growing fire. The interior of the building was illuminated from the flames. For just a moment, Steve could see Danny. He leveled his gun, taking aim at the driver.

"Hang... on... buddy," he whispered.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

**_A/N: Thanks for the kudos, subscriptions, and bookmarks.  Any feedback would be welcome..._ **

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	18. Chapter 18

Killian saw Steve standing in the path of his moving vehicle. Steve wasn't budging and Killian wasn't slowing down.

"Looks like your buddy's gonna get run over after all, if he doesn't get his ass out of the way."

At the comment, Danny lifted his lolling head to see what Killian was referring to. He now saw Steve in the center of the truck's headlight beams. He sat up a little straighter and his head seemed to gain a little clarity. _Move, you big idiot._ His thoughts obviously didn't transfer to his partner, because Steve remained steadfastly poised, or maybe they did and he was ignoring him as usual.

Killian added pressure to the gas pedal. "Hold on there, Danny boy, may get a bit bumpy," he sneered as he hit his high beams at the same time.

Steve was effectively blinded and instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes. He had lost his opportunity at his shot. At the last second, Steve jumped out of the way of the barreling truck and smacked the side of it with his hand as it raced by him. "Damn it!"

The truck made the aged and rickety door look like broken matchsticks as it rammed through. Any interference or deceleration was unnoticeable. Steve ducked and turned away from the flying shrapnel-like wooden projectiles. He wasted no time as he ran through the newly created opening in the direction of their parked vehicles.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Kono reached behind her and protectively draped her right arm beside Grace to keep her against the wall of the building as she peeked around the corner to make sure it was okay to expose their location. Kono had heard the loud crashing sound and suspected a fleeing vehicle. The immediate threat seemed to be gone. The light from the flames aided in revealing the security of the vicinity.

She grabbed Grace's hand and gave it a squeeze to communicate they were moving forward. As soon as they rounded the corner, they saw Steve running toward the Mustang. Grace's heart leapt in relief. This was her first visual proof of her father's words, that her Uncle Steve _was_ okay after all. She released her hold of Kono's hand and took off running.

"Uncle Steve! Wait!"

Steve heard the girl call to him and did a double take realizing he, too, was relieved to see Grace was unharmed and safe. He was torn, wanting to continue his chase of the truck, but _needing_ to sacrifice a moment to embrace his niece and tangibly confirm that she was okay. He turned course toward her and his pace slowed to a jog. When they reached each other, he took her into his arms.

"Hey, Gracie." His sweet, softened, higher pitched tone was soothing to the fearful girl's ears. Both of his hands swept the hair back on either side of her face so he could get a better look at her. "You okay?"

She nodded.

"Yeah?" He pulled her into another mutually comforting hug.

After savoring the moment, Steve was the first to pull back. Guilt-ridden, he looked up to Kono, then back at Grace. "Gracie, I... I gotta go." He stood and dropped his hold on her shoulders. He took one step backwards and then another as he anxiously spoke, "I can't let the bad guy get away." He couldn't tell her Danny was with the 'bad guy' and was still in danger, so he avoided the topic. He took a few more steps back. "Stay with Kono. 'kay? Love you!" At that, he gave a knowing glance at Kono and then turned and sprinted to the Mustang.

"Hey, boss!" Kono called after him. "You okay to drive?!" She unconsciously held up her own arm as a visual aid to show what she was speaking of.

"I got it!" He yelled back as he got in. He took off, speeding down the broken, abandoned road.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

As Lou passed the door wreckage, he glanced to his right to see his boss hurrying away from the building. He turned his attention back to finding his friend. He quickly spotted him in the corner of the building near the busted door.

"Chin!... Chin!" He reached his teammate and confirmed for himself that what Steve had said about their friend was, in fact, the case. "Trying to lay down on the job, eh, Kelly?"

Chin just smiled at the playful accusation. "Here, help me up, would ya?" He reached his left arm up to Lou. Maintaining his hold on the compress, Lou lifted him to put his weight on his left leg. Lou wrapped Chin's arm around his shoulder and grabbed his hand and then wrapped his own arm around Chin's back to hold him up.

"I'm assuming McGarrett went after Killian. Any sign of Danny?"

"Yeah. Killian had him. Steve's pursuing them."

"Mm... hm." Lou wished he hadn't gone off alone.

The fire was just beginning to arrive at the wooden structure of the annex. What once was a slowly spreading fire was now rapidly growing. Smoke was filling the air. Both men began to cough between their words as the smoke entered their lungs. If either of them had a free hand they would have covered their faces.

"Let's get you outta here. The medics will be here anytime."

"I heard you got Grace?"

"Kono's with her now," Lou confirmed. "They'll meet us out front. She's fine."

Chin nodded and attempted another smile which turned into a wince at the jarring movement to his hip.

"You need to stop?"

"No, I'm good. We need to get out of here."

They utilized the newly opened bay door for their escape. The rush of abundant fresh air was welcome. They could see Kono and Grace near Lou's Suburban. Chin insisted on going the full distance.

"Chin!" Kono exclaimed and took a few steps closer as the men neared the vehicle.

"It's okay, cuz," Chin called out. "It's not bad."

Kono opened the back of Lou's vehicle in anticipation and Lou eased Chin onto the makeshift seat to await the ambulance and fire trucks. He heard nearing sirens in the distance. Lou noticed Chin's Mustang was gone and once again had an uneasy thought of Steve going after Killian on his own.

Grace looked back at the burning building. Her eyes widened as she saw the increasing flames. Until now, the speed of the fire's spread had been minimal, but as it finally reached the mostly wooden annex, the rate kicked up and the sight of the engulfed section of the building was surreal. "Where's my dad?"

Kono looked to Chin and then Lou for an answer as well. Lou followed Grace's gaze and then stepped in and called on his paternal skills and experience when he saw the source of her immediate concern. "No... no, sweetheart. Your dad's not in there. It's okay."

"Then, where is he?" Tears were beginning to make their way to the surface again.

Lou knelt down on one knee and took her hand in his and looked up into her eyes. He was going to tell her. He had decided she was old enough and she had been through enough to deserve the truth but before he could, she spoke again.

"He's with that man still, isn't he?"

"Yes, baby girl, but there ain't no need to worry now. Your Uncle Steve is on their tail and you _know_ he won't stop until he gets what he's after."

Grace was able to smile a bit at that.

"You know I'm right now. Don't you?" Lou added.

Grace nodded and Lou returned her smile.

The ambulance arrived at the Suburban first and the firetrucks were right behind it and went immediately to the task of dousing the fire.

"Tell ya what, do you think you can do a favor for me? Would you go with Kono and Chin, here, to the hospital and help Kono look out for your Uncle Chin for me, until I can get there? While you're there, the doctors can check you out too, and your mom can meet you there. I'll go help out Superman."

"And my dad?"

"... and your dad. Yes, ma'am. ... Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, sir. I can do that."

"That's my brave girl."

"Will you tell Danno I love him?"

"You can do that yourself when we bring him home. Okay?"

He gave her a hug and then stepped to the side to speak privately with one of the paramedics as the other helped Kono transfer Chin to the ambulance. In a few minutes, Lou stood watching the emergency vehicle pull away.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"Grace." His body involuntarily jumped as his own voice caused him to awaken.

"Whoa there, Danny Boy. Take it easy. Bad dream?"

Danny didn't respond. He just let his heart rate calm after the disturbing dream. His eyes opened to narrowed slits and he tried to make out where the truck was going.

Ever since he saw his loco partner issuing his idiotic dare in his own twisted game of Chicken, his mind had cleared somewhat. He still felt extremely sleepy and the lulling of the muted vibrations of the moving vehicle didn't help. However, he felt more himself and sensed that Killian had assumed he had ingested more of the drug than he had. He decided to use that impression to his advantage. With the headache he was enduring, he began to think that maybe the drowsiness was an effect of the pounding he took instead of the drug.

"Detective? You with me?" He glanced over at his prisoner and grinned at his lethargy.

However, Danny's unresponsiveness was his choice, not physiological as Killian thought.

Danny shifted slightly at the recollection of the dream. Grace had been trapped in the airplane hangar with an approaching fire when he had suddenly awoken. He had no choice but to trust that Steve and the team had gotten to his daughter in time and that she was safe. He knew his partner would do whatever was necessary and would even give his own life for her if needed.

As he tried to adjust his position without calling attention to himself, his hand touched something partially stuck in the crease of the seat. Tugging on the small object more, he was able to get it into his hand and was able to determine it was a key of some sort. He immediately knew that this could be a potential tool to cut through the tape around his wrists, so he started to work at it. He had pretty much just gotten started, when he felt the truck slow and then pull off the road.

"We're here," Killian declared.

Except for the clandestine work going on behind his back, Danny remained motionless and unresponsive. He decided to continue his ruse to bide his time.

"All right then." Believing Danny to be out of it, Killian got out of the truck and casually walked around to the passenger side. He noted the breeziness of the night but thought it was much warmer than usual at this time. He took a moment before opening the door to indulge his senses. He closed his eyes and inhaled the warm salty air as he listened to the therapeutic resonance of crashing waves in the distance. As he expelled his built-up tension from the evening's events with the cleansing breath, he smiled in satisfaction at the thought that this was the perfect place for his next victim to meet his demise. His original plan for Miss Williams and her father had been foiled by the interfering and intrusive group of heroes, but this would be a good Plan B.

Hollis Killian had visited this spot many times before, but always in the daylight hours. The first time was by accident, when he needed to stop to check the map on his phone as he was still learning the area. He had noticed the not-so-utilized path that led away from the pull off and had come back the next day to see where it led. The craggy trail had always ended for him at the pinnacle of rocks that were used by daredevil, excitement seekers for cliff jumping. He had never continued farther but could see that, if he wanted, he could have made his way down the path as it meandered to its terminus at a distant secluded beach.

He had just opened the door and was about to reach in to pull Danny out when he heard voices. He shined his flashlight in the direction of the voices and saw the lush vegetation separate at the trailhead as five young people emerged. Feeling a bit perturbed, he looked behind him to see if he had missed a parked car but confirmed there was not another one there besides his.

Agitated by the development, he whispered, "I don't know if you can hear me, but you best not make a peep or one or more of these kids will be dead and it'll be your fault."

Danny heard. He heard every word and his mind started racing but he remained still.

The young man in the front was carrying a lantern to light the path and lead the group out. He abruptly stopped at having a light shine in his eyes. He raised his free hand to block the source.

"'ey! What up?"

As the remaining four emerged, they all stopped in reaction to the leader of the group. Two of the three guys, all in the front, were shirtless with boardshorts. The other was carrying a cooler and also had on his swimming attire, but was wearing an unbuttoned floral Aloha shirt. The only females of the group, wearing bikini tops and cutoffs, stepped out last. Theirs were the voices that Killian had heard as they neared the parking area. The cheerful laughing and conversation abruptly stopped with their progress.

"Yeah, man, what's the deal?" One of the others spoke up now.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that." Killian repositioned his light so it wasn't shining in their eyes any longer. "You just startled me. I didn't see any other cars here."

"A bruddah's pickin' us up... Hey, he alright?" The 'leader' had seen Danny in the truck.

Killian quickly wiped the sleeve of his shirt across his own mouth hoping to remove any leftover blood from his own broken nose before they noticed that too. The darkness was accommodating as well.

"Eh, yeah. He, uh, just had a little too much to drink. Thought some coffee and some of this fresh air would help before I took him back to his old lady. You know?" He pulled out and held up the same metal container hoping they would believe he had coffee in it. "She'd never let us go out again... if she didn't kill us both first." He laughed and the young people followed suit and obligatorily laughed at his predicament as well.

Now he had to wait on them to get lost. So partially to kill time and partially because he was sincerely curious for his own ulterior motives, Killian asked, "Were you all cliff jumping?"

"Nah, brah, not at this time of night. Dat'd be pupule. Low tide and too dark."

Another one added, with obviously less slang, "You can't see anything. You'd end up skewered on the rocks. We've just been hanging out on the beach. But, uh, we put out the fire." He became a little concerned this older man could hold some kind of authority that could get them in trouble.

"Hey, no, it's okay. We're not cops or anything." Amused, Killian's heart devilishly leapt at the irony and deception. He hoped somewhere inside, Danny had heard his lie. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and was glad to get the confirmation of the danger awaiting at the top of the path.

An older model Range Rover pulled up and stopped, still half on the road. "Dat's our ride. Hope your buddy beats his buzz 'fore it's too late."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be just fine... _even though it is too late_ ," he mumbled the last part to himself.

"What's dat?"

"Oh, nothing. You kids take it easy now." Killian waved as a couple of the guys threw up the shaka as they all climbed into the car and took off.

"Good job, Detective. Kept those kids safe. I _thought_ you'd do the right thing... so predictable. Now shall we?"

* * *

_~to be continued~_

_As always, I appreciate your comments..._

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	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** As we're _nearing_ the end of this story (I still haven't completed it, so who really knows), I just wanted to again thank you so much for the comments, kudos, bookmarks, and subscriptions. As other writers know, this is so encouraging. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer** : I don't own anything that is a proper noun. (Except I did make up the name of the fake drug in this chapter.) My only compensation is seeing that my story's being read and enjoyed. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

As Steve drove off in the Mustang, he looked back and saw Grace watching him pull away.

"I'm going to get him back for you, Gracie. I'm going to get him back for you and for Charlie... and for all of us."

He got to the front of the shopping center on the main road. He could see the lights of other vehicles but it was too dark to make out if any of those was the truck he was looking for. The truck that had taken off with Danny was gone. There was no sign of it anywhere. He had chosen to take a moment with Grace and that time had cost him.

He continued to drive with his eyes peeled for any sign of the truck. Managing the steering wheel with his casted right hand, he reached across with his left to take out his phone. Between glances at the road, he thumbed open an app and activated a GPS tracking signal.

"Come on... come... on..." In his impatience, he verbally tried to urge the device to move faster.

The blinking icon lit up on the map showing the location of his objective. "Yes! Thank you." The magnetic GPS locator that he had slapped on the side of the truck was working like a charm.

He quickly discovered he had chosen the wrong direction, so he did a U-turn as soon as he saw where he needed to go. The incorrect choice had again cost him even more precious time that he wished he had back.

His phone buzzed with Lou's name popping up on the display. Not wanting to lose one second of guidance provided by the tracker and being a little fearful of losing the signal, Steve reluctantly hit the ignore button. He would get back with him as soon as he could.

"Just a little longer, Danno. I'm coming."

~~~~~H50~~~~~

Danny's shoulder fell into Killian as he tugged on his arm. Killian eased him the rest of the way down onto the ground and Danny managed to hold onto the key. Killian stepped behind his head, reached down and lifted him from under his arms and began to drag him toward the path. Danny determined he did _not_ want to be drug like a sack of clams and this was not going to be the ideal situation for trying to manipulate the key to cut into the tape, so he pretended to stir a bit from his simulated unconsciousness but also genuinely groaned at the pained movement.

"Good, you _are_ awake."

"Hmm?" Danny continued his charade just enough to make Killian get him on his feet for his own perceived facilitation, but also to make him doubt Danny's cognizance enough to still feel in control.

"You're too heavy to drag the whole way. Come on, up and at 'em."

As Danny had hoped, Killian hauled him up to standing. Danny's head throbbed unabatingly. He leaned against Killian and opened his eyes just enough and squinted as in confusion of what was happening. Killian roughly handled him as they walked, much like he had done back at the airplane hangar. Danny staggered along and continued to work at his stubborn bonds. He believed he felt the beginnings of a puncture happening in the center of the tape but couldn't get any further than that. He was beginning to think the obviously dull key was a bad idea, but right now he didn't have another option. He would keep working at the potential vulnerability.

"Can you hear it? It's calling to you." Killian's follow-up superficial, shallow laugh irked Danny.

Danny thought he would have to be an imbecile himself to not realize what Killian was planning. The bastard was going to get rid of him, and get his jollies, by throwing him off the side of the cliff to be smashed into smithereens.

He could tell they had arrived at their destination. Looking out from the path they were on, he could see the moonlit wispy clouds stretched out over the vast darkness that plummeted below them. And he _could_ hear the waves... taunting him.

"We're almost there, just a few more steps. It's a long way up here but you can still hear the crashing on the rocks below." His tone was smug and gleeful.

"Do you _ever_ shut up?" Danny murmured.

"What's wrong? Getting a little nervous? Let's go, move it!" Killian ordered.

Seeing that Danny was more aware, he pushed him up ahead of him. The push and the persistent dizziness caused Danny to stumble and he ended up falling to his knees and then onto his side since he didn't have the use of his arms to catch himself. He felt the tiny metal lifeline slip out of his hand from the jolt. _Damn._ He rolled onto his back, desperately, but furtively, feeling around for his potential last chance.

_Damn it... dirt... no key. Sand... no key. Not even a decent rock with an edge... no key. No key._

"You best not be trying to stall. You know it won't do you any good. No one's coming for you this time."

" _You..._ pushed _me_!" Danny objected. He finished the thought with a mumbled, "Crazy idiot."

Killian held up his light and shined it on Danny's face. The brightness was a rude trigger causing a sharp pain in his forehead. He clamped his eyes shut and turned away as Killian approached with the obvious intentions of expelling some of his rage.

"I... am not... _crazy_!"

The first kick that made impact with his torso was swift and hard. Danny doubled over on the ground with a loud grunt. Still folded into himself for a modicum of protection to his already abused ribs, he didn't see the next one coming. The surprise assault to his already throbbing head sent agonizing shards of pain embedding into the back of his skull.

"Hey... I get it... you..." Danny uttered.

"What Danny boy? I what?"

"...win." Danny acquiesced. He was done fighting and he had accepted this was the end for him. In a few seconds, he'd be falling to his death, never to see Grace and Charlie grow into adulthood and experience all of the wonderful gifts... and the not-so-wonderful struggles that life offers. The immense emotional weight was the final cog in the compromising of his spirit. Regret and sorrow washed over him and he physically slumped.

One last fleeting thought emerged. _Who was going to take care of Steve? He would get himself killed if someone... if he, wasn't there to look out for the big goof. Wait, his family, his ohana... they'll be there for him. He'll be okay. The others will make sure of it. Steve will step up to fill in for him when he can't be there for Grace and Charlie, and the kids will be okay... and Steve will be okay._

The regret turned into acceptance and the sorrow turned into contentment. He began to fade. Nothingness was appealing. _It will be easier that way._ Each muscle, seemingly one at a time, succumbed to a welcome, sweet state of repose.

Killian bent down and grabbed Danny's upper arm to lift him back onto his feet so he could maneuver him the last few steps to the edge. However, he was presented with the dead weight of his captive and brutally let him drop to the ground.

"Come on, you prick. Wake up!" This time he used his foot to shove Danny to see if he would get any reaction. There was none. "Gonna make this hard on me I see."

In his uninhibited anger, and with adrenaline flowing, he pulled out the gun that was stashed behind his back and pointed it at Danny's head. "How 'bout I just finish this now?" He pulled back the hammer.

He got no response, no reaction at all. Danny was motionless. This was _not_ how he wanted this to go down. Then, like someone had hit a switch, his scowl transformed to an embittered smile. Then a titter led to a chuckle which built to a hysterical laugh. He quickly relaxed and abandoned his poised-to-shoot stance. Still firmly holding the gun, he decocked it and lifted both hands to the sides of his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Damn you, damn you... damn _all_ of you." Trying to compose himself, he bent over and put his hands on his knees taking several deep, deliberate breaths. After regaining a semblance of clarity of purpose, he dragged his arm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat that had formed there.

Knowing he wasn't going to be heard by Danny or anyone except himself, he still continued. "Um 'um. You're not getting off that easy, D. I'm finishing this like I intended, then I'll finish what I started with your buddy, McGarrett, and then maybe the rest, we'll see. What do you think about that, eh? ... ... That's what I thought."

Once again, he bent down behind Danny's head to get a hold of him under his arms. Lifting his upper body barely off the ground, he only backed up one step and covered a few inches in distance, when he abruptly stopped to listen. Had he heard a noise, an unexpected noise other than the typical night sounds of the breeze and roar of waves? He was unsure but decided to resume his self-assigned mission.

Because he was backing up, Killian would have had a perfect vantage point of seeing the path that they had just traveled on, if there had been sufficient light. The limited light of the moon, working in conjunction with the bouncing beam from his flashlight, distorted the shadows of the native flora. He didn't see that the movement of the leaves was not caused by the breeze.

"Hollis Killian?!"

Now he knew what that sound was. Somehow, some way, they _had_ found them. _Damn these people_. He reacted instantaneously. With Danny's gun already in his hand, he was able to quickly train it back at Danny's head. Steve stepped out from his partially hidden spot into Killian's light. Unwilling to stand down with his own weapon, he maintained his stolid stance.

Swallowing a lump at seeing Danny's unmoving body, his brain teased him that he was already too late. He had let his brother down. But as quickly as that thought tried to overtake him, his reasoning kicked in. Killian wouldn't be threatening to kill him if he were already dead.

"Hey, hey, take it easy. Okay? You need to stand down. There's no need for anyone to get hurt here tonight."

"Says the guy who would just as soon put a bullet in my head as to take his next breath."

"Maybe so, but I'm not going to do that. I can't do that."

"Yeah, 'cause you know I'd put one through your friend's here first."

"No. Because I'm gonna put you in prison to suffer through your remaining years on this planet as you rot away."

Killian smiled, almost proud of McGarrett's bold promise, but at the minimum pleased with it. "You know, _he_ made me another promise." He flicked the gun above Danny. "He said that he was gonna kill me. Said I was already dead."

Now it was Steve's turn to be proud and pleased, but definitely not surprised.

"Pretty arrogant, don't you think? I mean look at him."

"What did you do to him?"

"Ah, just rung his bell is all. Well, that and maybe a little dosing." So McGarrett could see his handiwork better, he used his free hand to place the end of his flashlight into the sand and pressed down and twisted the top, converting the light into a lantern. The once jittering beam, only allowing intermittent glimpses, was gone and a more stable glow illuminated the small area. Steve could now see Danny's battered and bruised face with dried and fresh blood contrasting against his pale complexion. But as he looked to Danny's assailant, he could see he had not had it so easy either. Steve couldn't suppress his own grin when he saw the fight Danny had put up as well. Killian's deformed nose had obviously been broken and he sported some rough looking bruising of his own.

"What are you grinning at?" Killian scowled.

"Looks like my partner did a job on you too." Steve felt he had tweaked a nerve.

Killian instinctively rubbed the back of his hand gingerly across his nose and tilted his head down slightly out of McGarrett's direct line of sight but didn't respond.

_Dosing?_ "What did you give him?"

Feeling more confident and pleased with himself, he looked back at McGarrett. "It's a hallucinogenic sedative I came across called Trihyptomine, to make him more... cooperative. Marvelous little drug."

A fire burned deep inside Steve. He wanted to take out Killian right then. His index finger started to slide toward the trigger, but the change to seriousness in his countenance must have alerted Killian because his facial expression changed as well and he thrust the muzzle of the SK onto Danny's forehead.

"Please, Commander, you don't want to do that."

The itch inside Steve was unrelenting. The burn of vengeance... excruciating. Unhindered sweat dripped down his face and time unceremoniously slowed to a halt. It would be so easy.

... But, he looked into those cold, maniacal eyes and knew what he had to do. He released the hold of the grip of his SIG and it loosely dangled on his finger. The other hand went up in submission.

"Good choice." Killian pulled his gun off Danny's head but kept it close. "Now... chuck it out there." He rapidly waved his gun toward the ocean and immediately trained it on Danny once again.

Steve didn't hesitate. He transferred the barrel to his left hand which would be better for tossing, since it wasn't busted and in a cast like his other. He drew his arm back and threw it as hard as he could into the noisy black abyss.

"And now your phone."

"Alright, just take it easy." Once again, Steve complied and pulled his phone from his pocket and sent it off the cliff to join his gun.

"Very good. Now scoot yourself over to the edge."

Steve shook his head. "You know I'm not going to do that, Hollis."

"Do it!" He pumped his gun-wielding hand at the unconscious, oblivious third participant.

Steve felt his heart flutter nervously at the threat but he steeled himself and once again shook his head. He had to figure a way out of this and the first step would be to get Killian physically away from Danny.

"I'm not just going to jump off a cliff and let you kill my partner anyway. You're going to have to come over here and make it happen. Look, I don't have a gun." He twisted his upheld hands in the air to emphasize his lack of a weapon. "I'm defenseless."

Killian stood upright putting some distance between the gun and Danny. He seemed to be intrigued by Steve's words and took a step closer.

"Don't think about it," Steve continued. "Just come on. If _I_ jump, it'll be on me, not you. You won't be able to take the credit for that one. Once again, you will have failed. You failed with me last time..."

"Shut up!" Killian took another step.

"You failed with Detective Williams's daughter. She's fine. She's safe. My team got to her in time."

"I _said_ shut up!" Bitterness and rage burned within him.

"And you're going to fail with me _again_. Just admit it, Hollis, you're a failure." Steve paused to gauge his reaction. "You want me over the edge? _You're_ going to have to do it. It's gotta be you."

Killian took two more steps. Even in the limited light, Steve could see the scowl on his face. He felt a glimmer of hope and readied himself for his attack.

_Yes... come on, Killian... a little farther._ Steve was pleased with the progress and ease of manipulation. Then, in a mere second, his optimism plummeted. _No, no, no... come on... just a little more._

Killian had stopped and he was raising the gun to aim at Steve.

"You're right. It has got to be me." He raised one eyebrow as he icily stared down his new target.

_No... Would this be a fatal error?_ "Holl..."

He couldn't even get out the name before the thunderous shot rang out and the bullet made impact. Steve went down with a grunt. Then there was silence.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	20. Chapter 20

Danny's mercurial blue eyes sprung open.

The sound of the single shot was loud and cutting... and was the catalyst that brought Danny out of his inanimate state.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"I'm going to have to do it," Killian added after the shot. "It's gotta be me," he parroted back Steve's sentiment.

Dazed and in pain, Steve lay still for a moment before attempting to move. "Augh! Shit," he grumbled, as he rolled from lying on his back, where he had landed from the force of the shot, to being on all fours and then planting one foot back on the ground and trying to rise. His vest had done its job and prevented the bullet from entering his chest, but the hit had still thrown him for a loop. He put his elbow on his knee as he tried to catch his breath.

"Well, I'll be damned. Guess my shot's not that good. Never did like these things. Wonder where the next one will end up?" He once again straightened his arm for another attempt that he hoped would be more on the mark.

"Over here, jackweed!"

Steve's eyes widened when he saw Danny rising to his feet. "No, Danny!"

"Remember my promise? Do you remember what I told you?" Danny's tone was cold and callous. His arms were free with remnants of the black gaffer tape wrapped around and dangling from his wrists. His chest was heaving in anger and hate, as though he couldn't get enough air. He adjusted his stance to maintain his stability as he now stood in his own strength. The spiteful calamity in his head continued to antagonize him; pain and dizziness melding into a toxic combination. He still managed to clearly express himself.

Killian made a snap decision. The ploy had worked with the Commander, now he'd try with his partner. He continued to keep the gun pointing in Steve's direction.

"Now, now, Danny Boy, you better calm yourself down." The statement contradicted reality since, except for his labored breathing, Danny's exterior was a model of calmness. "I'll shoot him. You know I will."

Steve was not afraid for himself. The threat directed at him was void of any power as far as he was concerned. However, his concern for Danny spiked. "Danny, stop!" He needed Killian's attention to stay on him. He needed Danny to stop whatever he was doing. To his dismay, however, that's not what Danny had in mind. Steve felt and saw a determination and an unusual serenity emanating from his partner.

"You _crazy..._ sick... son of a bitch." Danny took his time... relishing in freely speaking his opinion now, emphasizing his captor's forbidden word. He took one step forward, then another, not heeding the warning. He picked up his pace as he approached and finally rushed Killian. In an automatic reaction, Killian spun around with his gun and pulled the trigger to stave off the attack.

"Danny!" Steve yelled again.

The pull of the trigger only elicited a clicking sound. Killian tried again, several times in repetition, without success. He drew back his arm to throw the useless weapon.

Killian's juvenile last-ditch attempt was ill-timed. Danny easily sidestepped the projectile and ran toward his target. Killian was hit with a two-armed push from Danny. His arms flailed to the side as he tried to maintain stability on the edge of the cliff but could not. Even in the dark, Danny saw the fear and then realization in his eyes just before he plunged into the black void of the darkness.

 _Satisfaction_.

"Oh God... Danny... no!"

Steve was finally able to regain his footing after witnessing the illusory slow-motion attack.

"Danny!" Steve screamed out in horror.

He had also witnessed his best friend follow the killer over the edge. Danny had been unable to bridle his momentum and skidded over the precipice after Killian. The agonized grunt he heard immediately after Danny disappeared from his sight gave him a glimmer of hope. Steve grabbed the lantern and ran to the edge. He fell on his stomach and held the light over the edge at arm's length.

"Oh, thank God. Danny!"

He set the lantern as close to the edge as possible but had to opt for a less precarious, level surface a foot or so back. He reached down as far as he could with his more useful left hand.

"Danny, I'm here. Can you grab my hand? Don't look down. Just look at me. Danny! Look up at me!"

One of Danny's hands was gripping a boulder above his head, the other had a hold of a jutting rock by his chest. He was trying as best as possible to get some kind of footing below him but the attempt became a floundering dance as one foot would seem to gain some stability, it would falter and the other would take its unsuccessful turn at scraping the surface. The click clacking of the falling rocks beneath his feet heckled him. His arm muscles began to burn as they effectually held all his weight.

An alien sensation that his brain couldn't quite process, was put on the backburner for the moment. The screaming, burning sensation in his arm muscles must have been camouflaging the rest of his pain because his throbbing headache had seemed to ease. However, he was thankful for the darkness because if there had been light to see, he knew dizziness would overtake him.

"Steve?"

"Yeah, buddy, I'm here. Now, you need to do what I say, okay?

"Steve, I... I can't hold on."

Steve felt an unfamiliar feeling of fear and hopelessness. He took a deep breath to calm these unusual, annoying nerves. The completion of this mission had only one acceptable outcome, so he doggedly resolved to carry on.

"Danny, listen to me. You're not going to need to. Just take my hand."

Steve stretched his arm down to reach his partner but he came up just shy. He pulled his arm back and shimmied closer to the ledge and tried again. This time he was able to reach the top of the closer of Danny's hands.

"Can you hold on enough to grab my hand, Danny? Come on. I'll do the rest. I promise... it's going to be fine."

Steve could see the stark, abnormal paleness of Danny's face and the shakiness in his arms, but his moment of acrid realization was the look of surrender and acceptance in Danny's eyes. He knew his best friend was about to give up.

"No, Danny! Listen to me. Okay? Grace... Grace, man, I saw her. She's fine. She's good, buddy. She needs you. She's scared and she needs her dad. And Charlie needs you. Come on, you can do this."

Steve believed he saw a flash of light in his eyes. He was trying. He could tell Danny was trying.

"That's right, Danno. I need you, too," Steve admitted. "You've got this."

Danny dug deep and decided he would let go and reach for Steve's hand. He knew there would not be a second chance. A miss would mean following Hollis Killian to his death. Summoning all of his remaining energy into the grasp of his right arm, his left released its hold and instantaneously it was secured in Steve's.

Steve noticed his own quick burst of air that escaped his lungs. He wondered how long he had been holding his breath.

"Good job, buddy. I got ya."

Now Steve was in a precarious situation. Without the full use of his right hand and hanging over the edge more than he would like, he had to figure out how he was going to get them both to safety. For a second, he just held on, relieved by the fact that Danny's fate was now in _his_ hands and not in the recently unreliable, wavering resolve of his partner's. Whereas he couldn't say the same for Danny right now, he knew _he_ could not and _would not_ let go. _Danny's right. He is a control_ _freak_.

He began to pull and gained a few inches... and then a little more. He was now on the positive side of the fulcrum and gaining an upper hand.

Then he heard Danny yell out in agony. Danny's contributed assistance ceased and the weight on Steve's arm went limp. His progress immediately stopped and he felt a slight slip in his sweaty grip.

"Danny?!"

There was no answer. He tightened his hold as best as possible and tried a few more tugs, yielding no gains. Things were looking bleak and he steadied himself to summon any remaining bit of energy he had left for a last-ditch effort.

At that moment, the most opportune of all moments, another arm partially covered Steve's and a hand clamped down on Danny's wrist. Steve felt the assist before he saw it and was reenergized to pull again.

"Gotcha boys, come on now!" Lou's bellowing voice was the sweetest, most melodious music to Steve's ears. In a few seconds, the three were safely atop the precipice.

Steve fought through his exhaustion. "Danny? Hey, Lou, reach me that light behind you."

"Sure thing. Hey, are you okay?" Lou brought the light to a place they would be able to see Danny better.

"Yeah, fine." He quickly blew off the question. "But something's wrong with Danny. He yelled out and then passed out."

The light allowed them to see the cause for Danny's shout. A sharp protrusion in the wall of the cliff had cut a deep gash through Danny's side and he was losing a lot of blood. _No wonder he looked so pale._ He reached around to the pocket of his vest and found it to be empty, remembering that he had used his clotting packet on Chin what seemed to be ages ago.

"Damn! Lou, I need something to pack it with, to stop the flow."

"I'm tellin ya, I gotcha." Lou pulled a packet of the clotting material from an unseen location on his person. "You're not the only one your boy's been after to carry emergency supplies."

Steve hastily accepted the packet that Lou opened for him and placed it against the nasty looking cut that ran beside his ribs. The trauma pad proved to be inadequate for the large injury. Glancing first at Lou, he realized both of them were outfitted in their tactical gear, making their removal costly in time, especially with his cast. Steve grabbed a handful of Danny's shirt and rent it from bottom to top. He wadded the material and put it over the quickly reddening pad. "Lou, call an ambulance!"

"It's already on the way," Lou assured him.

Still holding the absorbent material in place and giving steady, firm pressure, Steve sat back on his heels and allowed himself to breathe while they waited.

"Here, let me do that," Lou implored. "You look like you're on your last leg." He lowered himself down to his knees beside Danny.

"Nah, I got it. Thanks, though." As though he were still holding on to Danny at the edge of the cliff, Steve wasn't willing to abandon his position yet. He felt a sense of finishing what he started and still wasn't ready to relinquish his control. "Thank God you got here when you did, Lou. I didn't know what I was going to do. How did you find us?"

"Your phone... was able to trace the darn thing."

"It's at the bottom of the Pacific now."

"Well we must have gotten the signal before that, cause it brought me right here."

"Where's the damn ambulance?" Steve asked impatiently.

"It'll be here. This place ain't no quick little jaunt out here."

Steve apologetically nodded, realizing his impatience for what it was and changed the subject. "How's Chin?"

"Good. He's a tough guy. He'll be at Queen's waiting for us. Kono and Grace went with him."

"Grace okay?"

"As far as I can tell. She's a tough little lady, too."

"Just like her dad," Steve affectionately whispered.

After taking a moment to size up Danny's entire physical state, Lou forlornly added, "Looks like the bastard did a number on him."

"Yep," was all Steve could get out.

The sound of sirens finally could be heard in the distance. "Hear that. They're almost here. I'll go out to the trailhead and lead them in," Lou volunteered.

"Yeah, okay. Sounds good," Steve mumbled.

Lou paused after standing, looking down on Steve. He was concerned about him as well as Danny. Steve was despondent and Lou knew only one thing would help... Danny surviving and being okay.

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N:**  Winding down, maybe another chapter or two. We'll see, still writing. I have no real medical knowledge, grace…please. Just hope it's entertaining and enjoyable._

* * *

 

_Thirty-nine…_

_…_

_…_

_Forty…_

…

"Steve, here. I got you a bottle of water."

_Forty-one…_

…

"Steve?"

Kono withdrew her offered hand and sat down in the chair beside Steve. She cradled two bottles of cold water in her lap and sighed as she tried to think of something to say. Everything that started to come out was quickly discarded as a feeble attempt at encouragement. When the condensation began to soak into her jeans, she set the bottles on the end table beside her.

"I'll just put this here for now, until you want it." At this point, she didn't expect a reply knowing Steve's worry for Danny was oppressive, but she said it anyway .

Steve's tenacious gaze held steady. "Forty-two…"

"What?" Kono inquired, surprised that finally Steve had spoken. "Forty-two? Forty-two what?

Steve now spoke more audibly, "That door… Someone has gone in or out that door forty-two times since they took him through it… forty-three times."

Kono followed Steve's gaze to the large swinging double doors to which he was referring. She took a minute and steepled her index fingers on her upper lip in thought. Then when she was ready, she angled her herself toward Steve until their knees were touching. She took his nearer, casted hand in both of hers and decided on three words. "You got there."

For the first time, he looked away from that door and looked at Kono. An orderly, number forty-four, went through the door and he didn't notice.

She released his hand momentarily to secure a loose tendril of hair behind her ear and then replaced it on top of his. His attention emboldened her to continue. "You were there for him. You made it in time and now he's here, where he can get the help he needs to get better."

Steve looked down at their intertwined fingers and then returned his attention when she spoke again.

"You said the medic said he was holding his own. Right?"

Steve nodded.

Kono smiled in encouragement and reinforced his nod by vocalizing the answer to her own question. "Right."

"You didn't see him, though, Kono. I've never seen him so pale. I've never seen anyone so…" Unwanted memories forced their way into his thoughts and interrupted his statement. "Except…" This final word slipped out unintentionally as he chose to abandon that train of thought and Kono didn't press. She knew he was probably recalling past SEAL missions and assumed he was thinking of those that didn't make it home. "...and he was about to give up. I could see it in his eyes." He immediately regretted his last statements. He felt as if he were betraying his brother. This time it was Steve that released his hold and sat forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees as his head dropped to his chest.

Kono shifted in her seat and wrung her hands as she searched for her next words. However, Lou's timing was once again impeccable as he arrived and joined the pair, releasing them both from their awkwardness. Before his teammates could ask, he began to report. "They just finished up with Chin and got him settled in a room. The bullet nicked his pelvic bone so he'll be on crutches a while, but he should be fine. They're just going to keep him overnight for observation. Should be good to go tomorrow."

Kono looked over at Steve. "You want to go see him?"

Steve looked back toward the door without responding.

"They'll come and get us when there's word," she assured.

"Um hm." Steve nodded and stood.

Kono smiled and shared an understanding look with Lou.

"Let's go see Chin," Steve said, saying the words aloud to commit himself.

Lou led the way and entered Chin's room first. "Brought you some company."

"Hey, guys. Howzit?" Chin's dependable, contagious smile was still persevering through the pain and pain medication.

"Hey, Chin. You doing alright, buddy?" Steve asked as he stepped over to his bedside and folded his arms over his chest. Chin was sitting up in bed, and besides appearing tired, he looked well. Kono came over to the other side and leaned in for a peck on his cheek.

"Thanks, cuz. Yeah, I'm going to be fine. They said the bullet went all the way through. Just needs some time to heal. Any word on Danny?" Lou had filled him in on the events of the evening after Steve had left the hangar.

Steve raised his eyebrows and took in a breath. "No, no, not yet. They're going to come get us when there is."

Chin nodded. He could see the worry in Steve's expression and decided to change the subject. "What about Hollis Killian? Has the Coast Guard found anything yet?"

Steve looked up at Lou because his attention had been diverted to other things since getting to the hospital.

Lou answered, "Last I heard, they were still searching. May be morning before we get any news. Well, I guess it's already morning, but when there's enough daylight to help out."

"Steve, is there any chance…?"

"No!" Steve broke in, knowing what Chin was going to ask. "There's no way Killian could have survived that. I was there and he almost took Danny with him. There's just no way."

Chin closed his eyes for a moment in acceptance. "Alright. I just wanted to make sure."

"Yep, there's no way," Steve reiterated as if assuring himself.

"And I concur," Lou added with the goal of reassuring his friend, but the thought behind the statement was still laced with a degree of unintentional insincerity.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Steve spoke up. "Look, Chin, I'm sorry about this." He pulled one hand out from its hammocked rest and gestured at Chin lying in bed.

"Hey, we got Grace back didn't we? She's safe, and Killian's dead… and Danny's going to be okay too. That's what matters."

Steve seemed unconvinced and was preparing to give a rebuttal when a nurse walked into the room. Steve narrowed his eyes and tilted his head at his arrival. The nurse's words cut short his mental search to satisfy his elusive recognition.

"Commander McGarrett?" The nurse looked around the room not knowing which of the visitors was the person he was looking for.

"I'm McGarrett." Steve hastily stepped around the side of the bed and toward the nurse.

"Doctor Colbert has asked to consult with you about Daniel Williams?" He posed the statement as a question, wanting affirmation that the Commander knew who and what he was talking about.

"Yeah, yeah, how is he?"

"You'll have to wait and speak with the doctor. I can take you to him."

"Let's go." Steve impatiently took a step toward the door but then turned back to his team.

"Go, Steve. Let us know what you find out," Chin gave his unrequired approval.

Steve nodded and followed the nurse out.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

When Steve entered the office, Doctor Colbert was already seated at his desk scribbling notes at the bottom of a form clipped in a seafoam green folder with a "W" prominently displayed on the edge. Feeling he needed to preface his consultation with an explanation of the archaic paper form of organization, he simply uttered two words as he waved a hand over the file. "Old school."

Enough said. Steve immediately felt at ease with the older, white haired, but balding physician. He didn't wait for an invitation as he pulled out the chair across from the doctor's desk and took a seat. The doctor removed his black rimmed glasses and laid them on top of the closed folder. He folded his hands and leaned forward to give Steve his full attention.

"Commander, I'm Doctor Jon Colbert, the attending assigned to Detective Williams."

"So how is he, doc?"

"No nonsense. I like that. Bottom line… he's going to be okay."

Steve released a tentative breath sensing there may be more. "But…?"

"Not really a 'but', just a reality. He's lost a lot of blood and he's undergoing a transfusion as we speak. He's also on fluids, antibiotics, and, of course, pain meds."

Steve appreciated the reciprocated 'no nonsense', layman's explanation from the doctor as well.

The doctor continued, "The laceration in his side was what took so long in surgery. After we got the blood loss stabilized and determined there was no damage to the lungs and liver, it took a while to repair the jagged tear. He'll be left with an ugly scar."

"It'll just match his others," Steve teased.

"Don't think his others are quite as large and uneven as this one will be." The doctor smiled and pushed back from his desk. He folded his arms momentarily before liberating one hand to use to gesture as he spoke. The doctor's body language evoked thoughts of Danny for Steve. "The broken rib and the bruised one, and the other injuries, were comparatively minor. They'll heal in time."

"What about the drug in his system?"

"We ran a tox screen and found what you had already given us, Trihyptomine. Didn't find anything else."

"I'm not familiar with it. Any lasting effects?"

"You don't know much about it because few people do. It's relatively new on the scene. It has very limited and controlled uses in mental health practice. It should exit his system fairly rapidly. If he wasn't so heavily sedated from the surgery, I'd say he could have a doozy of a dream or two, but I doubt that since he's so deeply under. When he wakes up, he could feel a little extra wooziness and maybe even a hangover-type headache, but with the beating he took, any difference probably won't be noticeable. Oh, yes, that brings me to the scan. The CT looked good, no bleeding, but I suspect he'll have concussion type symptoms for up to a week or so, maybe longer. He'll need to follow concussive head injury recovery protocol. Can you help to ensure he does that?"

"Oh, no problem there. He likes it when I hover. Anything else, doc?"

"Lucky young man. Lucky to have you as a friend and get him here in time."

"I don't know about that. He wouldn't get into these messes if it weren't for me."

"For some reason, I have a feeling he's right where he wants to be… not in a hospital bed, mind you, but working alongside a devoted friend. Your concern for your partner is obvious. I'd say you have a rare friendship."

Steve looked down at the floor, considering the older man's words.

Doctor Colbert leaned forward again, resting his forearms on his desk. He briefly looked at the ceiling, searching for more words to reassure his patient's self-appointed keeper. "You know how they say laughter is the best medicine? While it definitely has its merits, I have found time and a good support system is actually what is usually needed. I've had a lot of years of testing this theory and it seems to prove true more often than not. Give him some time, and his physical body should heal and be back to his old self."

"What about his mental healing?"

"It's clear he's got the support he needs. That will follow suit as well. Again, experience… I'm old and this ain't my first rodeo, young man. I've seen a lot. Trust me."

Steve felt like he could. He stood and offered his hand. The doctor stood as well and received his handshake.

"Thank you, doc. Can I see him now?"

"Of course. I'll get Todd to come back and take you up to his room."

 _Todd._ Steve filed the name away.

* * *

 

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	22. Chapter 22

Steve entered ahead of the nurse who had shown him to Danny's room.

"Danny?" Steve knew he wasn't awake but he threw out the net in case. With the expected lack of a reply, he looked to Todd who was checking and pressing buttons on the infusion pumps. "Will he be waking soon?"

Todd finished what he was doing and turned around and smiled. "He had awakened in recovery, but with the morphine, it put him back under. Shouldn't be much longer."

"Is it alright if I stay?"

"Sure. The chair's not too comfortable but it reclines. I'll bring in a pillow and blanket when I come back through."

"That'd be great. Thanks."

"Hey, I was wondering… have we met somewhere before?" Todd ventured.

"I was thinking the same thing. You do look familiar."

"I can't place where. Have you been a patient?"

Steve smiled. "Well, I'd guess you'd say I _am_ somewhat of a regular. Maybe that's it," he dismissed.

"Yeah, probably. I'll be back soon. Use the call button if you need anything."

Steve nodded as he turned his attention to his brother. His eyes tracked from the IV line taped to his hand up to his warming complexion. A hesitant, thankful half-smile crossed his face and then disappeared in his contemplation. He looked past the bandages, nasal cannula, and angry bruises and saw his friend, alive and safe, and on the road to healing.

He stepped closer to the bed, grabbing the railing. He spoke tentatively. The tempo and tone of his meandering flow of thoughts spilled out irregularly.

"Hey, Danno."

…

"So, uh, you're in the hospital… again. They say you're going to be fine. Of course, you're going to be okay; you're too bullheaded not to be okay."

…

"You going to wake up anytime soon? Grace and Charlie will be coming by when you're awake. They're wanting to see their dad… especially Grace."

…

"Man, that's a brave girl you got there, but she was scared for you. Oh, but she's fine," he added quickly, remembering Danny had no knowledge of what happened at the hangar except what he told him in the throes of their dangerous ordeal. He didn't know how much would have… could have sunk in.

…

Then slowing again, "I only got to see her for a second, but she's good. They checked her out and sent her home to rest. She and Rachel left while you were in surgery."

…

"Yep… she's doing well," he hesitantly reiterated, avoiding and stumbling over his next thoughts at the same time.

…

"Look, I… I get why you did it. I do. But, we're partners. Hell, we're more than just partners."

…

"You gotta trust me, buddy. You should have let me know where you were going. We would have worked something…" Realization set in.

…

"Oh. Here I am blasting you and I don't even give you the same courtesy. I guess I don't do so great at the trusting thing myself. There've been lots of times over the years… and that night… That's why you took it so hard. You felt like you let me down, but I went off on my own… without letting you know."

…

"You took it hard because that's just who you are. You want to take care of everybody you love."

"So, which are you, the pot or kettle?"

Steve smiled at the gravelly mumble but looked up to see Danny's eyes were still closed.

"Well?" Danny asked again, this time laboring to get his eyes open just enough to see his exhausted looking partner.

"Hey, man. Good to see you back."

Danny looked around at the room. "Good to be… where am I again?"

"Queen's."

"Still… good to be back."

"So, how much did you hear?"

"Just after the 'Hey, Danno' part."

Steve rolled his eyes. _Figures_. "You did that on purpose."

"Hey, a guy's gotta have some fun. If it comes in the form of his best friend spilling his guts when he thinks no one can hear, then so be it."

Steve's expression hinted at a thin, relieved smile. "How 'ya feeling?"

"Feeling pretty good right now. Guess that clear stuff in that bag has something to do with that."

"That won't last. You're going to be in for some discomfort."

"Eh, so what's new?"

Steve nodded his agreement.

"Tell me about Grace. You said she's okay? The fire?" Danny tensed as though he were going to try to sit up but thought better of it when he felt the pain in his side followed by a wave of dizziness.

Steve saw the wince but ignored it so he could get to what Danny needed to hear, knowing that information would help more than any drug. "Yeah, Kono and Lou found her in the airplane hangar and got her out. She wasn't hurt, just pretty exhausted. I'll let Rachel know you're awake and the kids will be by to see you."

"Good… good…" Danny relaxed. "You know, I…"

"Danny, don't try to talk, you need to rest."

"No, it's okay," Danny continued slowly. "I did try… to let you know. Maybe not the way I should've… turned out to be stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"I wrote you a note."

"We didn't find a note, Danny. We scoured your office."

"I was going to give it to the driver, so he could tell you where I went, since I sure as hell had no clue. Didn't know it was Killian all along. Kinda backfired on me."

Steve displayed the semblance of a supportive grin realizing Danny's attempt to let him in on what was going down probably led to some of the added abuse he endured. "Well, you tried, buddy. Good to know. Seems as though I've messed up my share too. Guess we both need to do a little better in the trusting department."

"Are _you_ okay?"

"Me? *psht*" His eyes rolled to the ceiling and he waved off the implication, getting his point across at the same time.

"I saw… You were shot."

"Vest."

"Of course."

Todd walked in with his arms wrapped around a pillow and folded blanket. "I see the patient's awake."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't need any more covers or…"

"Oh, this isn't for you. It's for your visitor."

Danny let his arm fall to the bed in resignation and understanding. "Yep."

"Speaking of visitors," Todd continued, "you've got some more out in the hall that would like to see you. Should I send them in?"

Steve spoke up, "That'd be great. Send them in."

"Thank you, Steven." Then he turned to Todd. "What he said."

Todd handed the bedding items over to Steve who set them in the chair and then went out and called in Lou, Kono, and Chin who were waiting patiently for the okay to enter. Lou pushed Chin's wheelchair in first and Kono followed behind.

As poorly as he was feeling, Danny couldn't help but smile when his ohana entered his room. "Hey, guys." The low husky greeting was a familiar and welcome sound to the group.

Danny immediately noticed Chin's status as a fellow patient. "Looks like you've been spending time with my partner. What happened?"

"He took a bullet," Lou answered for Chin.

"Yeah, yeah but it's not bad. It'll be fine," Chin quickly informed.

"That proves it. You stepped in for me while I was gone and Sergeant Slaughter, here, gets you shot. Now you know what my life's like."

Steve lifted one side of his smile into a disagreeable expression. "Now come on. You do not get shot whenever you're with me."

"Yeah, okay, you're right… just shot _at_ and _sometimes_ shot."

Kono spoke up to curtail the impending argument, but ended up unintentionally egging it on. "So, hey boss, tell us what the doctor said."

"You've talked to the doctor? _I_ haven't even talked to the doctor and _I'm_ the patient. So, let's have it, control freak, what did the doctor have to say?" Danny continued with his cantankerous attitude.

"He said you're going to lose your voice and I won't have to listen to you for a whole month."

"You wish. Truth."

"Well besides the obvious," he waved his hand in front of his own face to emphasize the damage to his face, "you've got broken and bruised ribs and a nasty tear in your side that's gonna leave an ugly scar. He said you're going to be okay, though. You're going to be sore and in pain a while." Steve grinned with artificial glee which made Danny roll his eyes. "No, seriously, and oh, I'm supposed to help watch out for concussive symptoms and make sure you do what you're supposed to."

"Really? Like _you_ did, when _you_ got conked on the head?"

"Hey, there were extenuating circumstances and a serial killer to catch, but I'm past that now. My head's fine and the threat's behind us, so I can devote my time to you."

"Once again, you say your head's fine but I know that to be a false statement. Like I said, Noelani should look into that. And no 'devoting time' stuff. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself… thank you."

"Boys, let's take a timeout. Shall we?" Lou's parental tone was stern and demanding.

But as a child trying to get in the last word of an argument, Danny whispered, "You were worried."

Steve started to shake his head in denial.

"You're right. He was worried, Danny." Kono inserted herself into the conversation.

Danny pointed his finger at Kono, thankful for the support, but challenged Steve with his stare. "Knew it. Told 'ya."

Kono went with the humorous vibe and dared to tread into a potential area of betrayal to Steve. "Yep, in the waiting room… he was counting people going through the ER door after they took you back. What? You got to forty-two?"

Steve wrinkled his brow in disapproval at the youngest of the team, but was repaid with a warm, apologetic smile which he returned after recalling and acknowledging his pacifying, temporary quirk. "Forty-three… thank you, Kono." Then he mumbled, "Appreciate that."

Danny closed his eyes and smiled in satisfaction.

Chin dropped his hand to the armrest of the wheelchair from where it had been propping his head and spoke up, "Hey, guys, I hate to be a party pooper but I think I'm ready to get back. This stuff's going to have me out for the count soon and my bed's calling my name."

"You got it." Lou answered. "You ready, Kono?"

"Yeah, I could use some rest, too."

"McGarrett?"

"Nah, I'm gonna hang here a little longer."

"Yeah, a 'little longer'? He's moving in. He's got his pillow and blankey." Danny was unrelenting.

"Well, sorry, Danny. Glad you're doing better and all, but _we're_ getting out of here. We'll see you tomorr… I mean later today. Try not to kill each other while we're gone. Would ya?"

"That remains to be seen. See ya." Danny lifted his propped hand off the bed as his farewell.

Turning his attention back to Steve, he saw him finish a text and put down the phone. "Hey, isn't that my phone?"

"Uh, yeah, I kinda lost mine. We found it in your office. You don't mind, do ya?"

"No, no, be my guest," Danny snarked resignedly.

Steve raised his eyebrows and explained, "Just letting Rachel know you're awake. She said the kids are asleep so she'll bring them by around early afternoon. You probably need to get some shuteye too."

Almost prophetically, by the time Steve finished his sentence, Danny's eyes were already closed. Steve raised the footrest on the recliner and spread the blanket over his lap. He put the pillow behind his head and fluffed it there until it was just right. He closed his eyes, but opened one of them when he heard his brother speak again.

"Comfy?"

"Yeah, Danno. Are you?"

"Good enough."

Steve closed his eye, certain Danny had faded off. Once again, he was wrong.

"Thanks."

Steve open both eyes and lifted his head off the pillow. "For what, buddy?"

"Grace… Killian… everything. And not letting me give up."

Steve smiled and lay his head back. "I wish you'd give up and go to sleep."

"'kay, babe. Love ya."

"Love ya, too." … "You're welcome."

* * *

_~to be continued~_

_**A/N:** _ _Still not done. Need to get daddy and daughter back together._

\,,,/


	23. Chapter 23

Several hours of sleep did wonders for Danny's battered body and fuzzy mind. The soreness was ever present and possibly a little worse, but the acute pain in his side and head had definitely dulled. The wooziness was also gone and with it, the nausea that had caused him to go through one vicious bout of purging his guts during the early morning hours. Steve had been right there with an emesis bag and towel in hand, without one quibble, speaking instead, with tenderhearted empathy. As though feeding off each other, Danny had naturally conformed to the noncritical mood and gratefully accepted Steve's aid without the usual, deliberate carping. After that, Danny had fallen into a more peaceful, beneficial sleep.

He awoke to find the interminable, malignant darkness of the night had finally dissipated. Bright restorative sunlight filtered through the openings in the window blinds. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air and sounds of cheery morning chatting amongst the hospital staff was increasing in proportion with the activity out in the hallway. The light, positive… normal… atmosphere was a balm to Danny's system.

The chair that had held his friend and caretaker during the night was now empty. The blanket had been neatly folded and meticulously placed in the chair with the pillow positioned squarely on top with military precision.

Danny was Todd's last patient before ending his shift. "Good morning, Detective." His words were cheerful as he entered, but his countenance tired after a long shift. He was pleased to see Danny was awake. "How are you feeling? Any better?" Todd competently worked as he spoke, checking each of the monitors and pumps.

"Think so." Danny was cautiously optimistic.

Once Todd was satisfied with the status of the equipment, he took hold of the bed railing and paused to give Danny a little more of his attention. "Good. Just got a little post-surgery stuff to take care of and you'll start to feel even better."

Todd noticed when Danny glanced at the empty chair again. "Oh, he said he was going to get some coffee and make a few calls. I think he said he was going to check in with your daughter. Grace, is it? He should be back soon."

Danny smiled at the mention of the light of his life. "Can't wait to see her and her little brother. Charlie's his name. Steve said they were going to come by today."

"Are they not in school?"

"She's doing a little recuperating of her own so she'll be missing school for a few days."

"Oh, sorry to hear. I hope she's okay."

"From what they're telling me, she's fine. It'll just be good to see for myself."

Todd nodded in understanding. "How old are your kids?"

"Charlie's six and Grace's fifteen."

"Oh, I have a fifteen-year-old niece. Just went to her school play a few days ago. Wait, there was a Grace Williams that was lead in the same play, any chance…?"

"One and the same." Danny's pride radiated past his sleep weary eyes.

"Very talented girl you have there." Todd started to fold back the bedding and abruptly stopped, "Hey, that's where I know your friend. I saw him at the show that night, out in the vestibule. Seemed a little anxious if I remember correctly. He can be a little… disconcerting, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I know what you mean… all too well. He 'disconcerts' me every day," Danny said, playing on the word.

"Well, how 'bout that. If I see him before I leave, I'll have to tell him."

"No! No, let me tell the numbskull. Please."

"Okay? Whatever." Todd was confused but accepting. "Now let me finish up here so you can rest and _I_ can go home."

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"Hey, buddy. Look who I found wandering the halls." As Steve entered Danny's room, he couldn't suppress the broad smile if he tried. The excitement at being able to witness the reunion of father and child after such a harrowing ordeal was akin to watching a child rip the paper off their most wished-for Christmas present.

Danny raised himself onto his elbows in giddy anticipation at the announcement. Charlie came running into the room and eagerly maneuvered around his uncle to get to his dad's bedside. The bed was a bit too high for him, so he started to climb up as his elated father ignored the pain and reached down to give an assist.

"Whoa, little man, hold up there! Let me help you," Steve called out as he hurried over to lift the child so Danny wouldn't exacerbate his injuries. Steve scolded his partner with his eye contact before murmuring, "stitches," between partially closed lips.

"Well you've got a bum arm," pointing his thumb in the direction of Steve's cast.

"I got this, Danny."

Danny did a slight eye roll before accepting Steve's help. He immediately enveloped his son in a tender hug, closing his eyes and relishing the warmth. He held on a little longer than Charlie's liking and the tyke wiggled out of the embrace and settled comfortably in the crook of his daddy's arm.

"Hey, buddy, how are ya doin'?" Danny mumbled as he took in Charlie's profile.

"Fine." Charlie's one word with a nod and a smile gave Danny the only answer he needed.

"'Fine'?" He gave his son a squeeze as he looked up to see that Steve had retreated to lean against the wall at the foot of the bed. With his arms folded across his chest, he displayed a smug smile as he took in the scene.

Steve's head turned towards the door and nodded his encouragement to the still unseen visitor who had yet to step through. Danny followed his gaze to the empty doorway and his heart fluttered with apprehension. He knew what his friends had told him. They had said she was unharmed, that she was fine. He needed to see for himself and the hesitation signaled an alarm. _Had they been protecting him? Had they deceived him into thinking she was okay for what they perceived as his own good?_

As his cynical mind started to ignite a flame of panic inside of him, she timidly stepped through the door. At seeing his daughter, the minute of foreboding he had succumbed to departed in an instant. Relief washed over him, soothing his fretful nerves. He allowed himself to steady his breathing and offer his unspoken reassurance to his daughter in the form of the special grin he reserved only for his 'monkey'.

She, too, had been carrying a similar trepidation that all was not well with her father. She had been apprised of the necessary details of his travails and of his condition, from her trustworthy Uncle Steve no less, but there was still a disquieting little voice that wouldn't let her believe it until she could see him for herself. She had delayed entering until she could overcome her nagging doubt.

With eyes firmly locked on the shiny tile floor, she stepped into her father's room, seeing the bottom half of her uncle first and then cautiously lifting her head to risk a peek toward the bed.

With the same arm that cradled Charlie, Danny held out his hand as an invitation and lifeline for both of them.

The concern on her face transformed to a tranquil calmness when she was rewarded by what her eyes saw. It took only a couple of steps to get to the tangible affirmation of the truth, her father's warm hand. Her lips hesitantly turned up at the realization.

Danny only needed to squeeze her hand and tug slightly to communicate his wishes. She moved closer and leaned over, wrapping him in an embrace that included her little brother. The trio held on until, once again, little Charlie decided he was done being the cream in this cookie sandwich and squirmed until the other two gave up.

Grace pulled back and sat on the bed beside her dad so she could look him in the face. They both spoke at the same time, seemingly the same question, "Are you…?" They each stopped mid-sentence and smiled at the coincidence.

"Ladies first," Danny politely offered, willing to wait his turn.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sweetie, I'm gonna be just fine. Just a little sore. Nothing to worry about." He used his free hand to caress her chin with his thumb. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"Mm, hm. I'm okay Danno. I was just worried about you."

"Hey, we, Williamses, are resilient. Right? I told you everything would be fine, now didn't I?"

She nodded her admission.

Danny glanced at Charlie to gauge his level of attention, wanting to be careful of any potentially unsettling subject matter in front of him. He deemed him to be pretty much oblivious to the conversation with his sister, but Steve noticed the hesitation and jumped into action.

"Hey, Charlie, I'm in the mood for a pineapple banana smoothie. Will you go with me and I'll get you one, too?"

"Okay! But not pineapple. Yuck! _Strawberry_ and banana." He excitedly sat up in anticipation. Steve reached under his arms to lift him to the floor, sharing a look with his partner as he did and receiving a nonverbal 'thank you'. "Can we get one for Grace and Danno?"

"Yes, for Grace, maybe, for Danno. We'll check with the nurses on the way out and if they say it's alright we'll get _him_ pineapple. 'kay?" Steve playfully tickled the boy's side.

Charlie giggled. "Okay."

"Charlie, you better not!" Danny called after them as they left. Steve ushered the boy out the door holding his hand and turned back to Danny before disappearing across the threshold. A quick lift of his brow and a devious grin was firmly set, solely to goad his partner.

Without an opportunity to riposte, Danny turned his attention back to Grace, his face getting serious and he emitted a sigh before continuing their conversation. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this, Monkey."

"It's not your fault, Danno. I don't blame you. I'd _never_ blame you."

"That psychopath had it out for cops and he specifically targeted Five-0. The fact is, you were put in danger because of what I do, and that's hard for me to get past."

"'What you do'? What you do is help people, people that need you to step in for them and do what they can't. Don't you know that's what I admire about you? Sure, I was scared. I was terrified… for me, you, Uncle Steve. I hate it when you get hurt and that I worry about you all the time, but, I can't think of you doing anything else. It's who you are. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Danny was stunned. _When had his little girl grown up? How could his daughter be teaching him a lesson?_

"And I've been thinking," she continued. "I think I'd like to help people, too."

Danny's jaw dropped a little, afraid and proud at the same time. "You're thinking you want to be a cop?"

Grace smiled, "No, silly, do you think I'm crazy? I was thinking of going into nursing, or maybe… even becoming a doctor."

Danny blew out a relieved breath. "You had me there for a minute." He let himself smile again. "I think you'd be the best nurse… _or_ doctor… on this island… on this planet."

Grace let out a doubtful sigh. "I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?"

"I had a vocational assessment conference with Mr. Richards and he thought nursing could be an option for me, but probably not being a doctor."

"Mr. Richards? The vice principal? Well then, he's about as loony as I made him out to be. Is this why you were so standoffish toward him?"

"Yeah, well, I guess."

"'Yeah, well, _I_ guess' he's just an idiot. _You,_ little lady, can be anything you put your mind to… just not a cop in a task force run by your Uncle Steve. Alright?"

"Dannooo…," she chided with a smile.

"Come here." Once again, he pulled her into a hug. "'Dr. Williams'. It has a nice ring to it."

* * *

_~to be continued~_

\,,,/


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** So, okay, we're at the end. Sometimes the muse would be very stubborn and I wasn't sure we'd get there, but here we are. Maybe I'll get another tickle soon.

I wanted to humbly thank everyone for reading. For the subscriptions, what an encouragement. For the kudos and bookmarks, such a compliment. For the comments, a special THANK YOU! Loved the input. :-)

* * *

After a little while, Steve and Charlie ambled back into the room. Charlie held his smoothie cup with both hands. Even though he had a straw, he had somehow managed to get sweet stickiness all over his face and hands. Steve held two cups and was sucking in a big gulp of his as he entered. "Hey, everything okay here?"

Danny spoke up first. "Yep, yep. We, uh, had a good conversation. Didn't we?"

Grace nodded as she took the offered smoothie cup from Steve.

"So, uh, where is mine?" Danny asked as he pointed toward Steve's cup.

"Oh, doc said you probably shouldn't have too much of this so soon. Said a little would be okay, though. Thought we could share. Here." Steve pointed the straw at Danny's mouth as he reached the cup his direction.

"Are you kidding me? Get that thing out of my face." Danny pushed the cup away. "What are you, an animal? I'm not drinking after you. I don't want your tainted germs."

"Ooo…kaaay…" Steve replied. "But you're the one missing out. This stuff is _really_ good. Isn't it Charlie?"

"Un huh. Would you like some of mine, Danno?" Charlie innocently offered.

"No, buddy, looks like you're about out. Most of yours is everywhere but your tummy. Thanks, though."

"Come on, Charlie," Grace said as she set her cup down on the side table before taking and doing the same with Charlie's. "Let's go get you cleaned up." She rested her hand on her brother's back and guided him toward the bathroom.

Danny beamed with pride as his kids left. "What about that? Hmm?"

"Impressive," Steve answered.

"Said she wants to be a nurse or maybe a doctor someday. You know?"

"Well, you'd keep her in business."

"Look who's talking."

"So, didn't I tell ya? She's good, huh?"

"Yeah, she's 'good'. Thanks for bringing her back to me."

"Enough with the 'thanks', okay?"

"Good morning there, fellas. How's the patient doing today?" Lou interrupted as he sauntered in.

"Hey, Lou. Still feeling pretty good," Danny let him know as he pointed at the medicine hanging behind him. "But, do you think you can get _this_ guy outta here?"

"I'll give it a try, but just wanted to let you both in on a little more information first."

"What do you got, Lou?" Steve asked, interest piqued.

"Well, first and foremost, the Coast Guard found the body of a one, Hollis Killian. They got a positive ID this morning."

Steve closed his eyes in relief. Danny stared straight ahead as though unaffected by the statement. For him, the confirmation was not needed. He already knew justice had been satisfied. He was not going to allow Killian to have any more control of him, and that included his emotions.

The stoic reception was not lost on either of Danny's teammates. When Lou saw he didn't need to allow any time for the news to sink in, he continued. "I have some other little tidy tidbits of information you may find interesting. Come to find out Killian had been working with a theatre staging and rental company, doing construction and other behind the scenes work, _including_ the one that was contracted out with our kids' school. He had been around that whole time."

"Son of a bitch!" Danny projected his anger and frustration. He quickly looked to the bathroom door to make sure his kids hadn't heard his lapse in parental profanity restraint. They weren't there, so he felt free to go on. "You mean to tell me that bastard was there for what… weeks, months even. Damn it!"

"I know how you feel, friend. It sickens me, too. There with Will, Grace… all those kids, working in the background, gaining information to pick his… well you know." Lou thought better of continuing. "You want to hear something else HPD came up with?"

"What Lou? Come on," Steve said, intrigued.

"You remember Killian had a son? Well we didn't meet him, but we came close. The young fella that lived downstairs at the quadplex apartment building that Killian had lived at for a time? That's him. We don't think Killian ever made contact with him and he has yet to be informed that his biological father was on the same island, much less deceased."

"You've got to be kidding me," Steve responded in shock.

Danny had heard about a son but this was the first he was hearing about Killian's former residence. He knew he had missed something and would get more of the story at a later time.

"Yeah, they're thinking he was just seeing him for himself and observing."

"Sounds like stalking to me," Danny interjected.

"It does a bit. I agree," Lou had to admit. "CSU also found your SK discarded in the brush where the tussle went down."

"Yeah, Danny, I meant to ask you… why in the hell did you charge the guy? Were you just wanting to get shot or were you out of your head with that drug?"

"I was very much in my right mind, thank you. Remember Kono said you were doing all that nonsense counting last night? Well you're not the only one that can count, Steven. I knew he was out. I knew he had my gun and I knew exactly how many rounds he had. I heard and kept track of each one, even back at the hangar."

"Should have known." Since the door had been opened, Steve stayed on the theme of putting pieces together. "Alright, so how did you get lose from the tape?"

"A key. I found a key in the seat of Killian's truck. It took a while but I finally used it to puncture and weaken the god-awful stuff and with a little more effort I got it to rip off the rest of the way."

"Well, CSU found a small key out there too. That must have been the same one," Lou informed.

"Silver? With a red cap?" Grace asked as she came back in her father's room.

"Well, yes," Lou answered, surprised that Grace knew.

"And you found it in the seat of the truck?" she asked her dad. "129. That was my locker key. I had it in my hand when…" She looked down at her brother and stopped mid-sentence. "Well, you know."

Now, Danny's face flinched at the revelation. This could only be regarded as a possibly divine, and at least fortuitous, providence. The realization that if it had not been for Grace, his own daughter, leaving behind the little implement of escape, there could have been a completely different, and most certainly unfavorable, outcome.

Kono pushed Chin's wheelchair into Danny's room. Chin had on his street clothes and looked refreshed.

"Well, you're looking better," Danny offered.

"You are too, my friend," Chin reciprocated.

"Doc just signed off on his release. Thought we'd stop in before getting him home. Hope we're not intruding." Kono saw the room was a bit cramped with visitors. She left Chin and went to give Charlie and then Grace a hug. "You doing okay?" she whispered in Grace's ear.

Grace smiled and answered, "I am now. Thanks for everything, Auntie Kono."

"You got it." Kono stood and spoke up. "So, we saw your mom. She's patiently waiting to take you guys home."

"Is she not going to come in?" Danny inquired, tamping down any indications of eagerness.

"We told her she should, but I think she felt a little awkward. She said she'd just wait."

"We're going to go, Danno." Grace gave him a goodbye hug and kiss. "Remember what I said." She backed up to allow Charlie his turn. Charlie hugged his dad and then made sure to give each person there their own goodbye hug.

"Charlie, what do you say to Uncle Steve for the smoothie?" Danny reminded.

"Thank you, Uncle Steve." The singsong response from Charlie was followed by his sister's turn.

"Yes, Uncle Steve, thanks for the smoothie."

"You're welcome, Gracie… Charlie."

"Yeah, thank you, Steven, for getting me one." Danny had to get his dig in.

"Hey, I tried. You turned it down, but you're welcome too, Danno."

Grace waved as she walked out the door with Charlie. Danny became more quiet than normal after the kids left, already missing them dreadfully.

With just the core team left, Lou took the opportunity to get Chin and Kono up to speed on the latest information.

~~~~~H50~~~~~

"No, I most certainly did _not_ say that."

"Sorry, man, but you did. Chin, Kono, and Lou all heard you. Back at the palace? … When we were learning about Killian? … You said it, Danno." Steve was adamant.

Changing the subject, Danny groused, "How long does it take for them to get here with a wheelchair? That whole thing's stupid anyway. I don't need a wheelchair."

"You're avoiding the subject and you know it's policy. How many times have you done this?"

"Too many."

"Anyway, you've been in here for almost a week. What's another ten minutes? Todd said he'd be here as soon as he could."

Danny developed a devilish grin.

"What?" Steve asked defensively, wondering what the new expression was about.

"I forgot to tell you. You know that menacing, evil-looking, nefarious degenerate you saw at Grace's school the night of her play? You know, the one you were _so_ sure was involved in all this mess that we just went through? You wouldn't leave me alone about it. Remember?"

Steve's face was puzzled. "Yeah, I remember. Why are you bringing him up now?"

"Todd."

Steve glanced at the door expecting to see Todd. When he didn't, he turned back to Danny. "Yeah, he'll be here soo… Wait."

"Todd," Danny said again.

"Did someone say my name?" Todd asked as he pushed an empty wheelchair into the room.

"Yeah, uh, I was just telling this chucklehead how you two had a brief encounter at the school play and that's why the mutual recognition."

"Oh, yeah, we figured out that I have a niece that attends the same school as Danny's daughter. She was also in the play and I was there that night… and you spoke to me… out in the vestibule. Remember? Some coincidence, huh?"

Steve looked dumbfounded. "Yep… Some coincidence… How… 'bout… that?" he squeezed out as he gave Danny an exasperated look.

Danny returned a completely smug and satisfied smile at his partner.

"Say, when I passed by earlier, it sounded like you two were having some sort of argument? Guess I shouldn't be surprised by now."

"No, we don't argue. Do we?" Danny looked to Steve.

"No." Steve innocently shook his head in agreement.

Danny continued, "We just have… discussions, uncompromising, pig-headed, and sometimes high-octane… discussions. Wouldn't you say?" Again, he looked to Steve to see if he would concur with his assessment.

Steve looked to the ceiling and bobbed his head from side to side in thought. "Yeah, I'll go along with that… discussions."

"Ooo… 'kay… I'll take your word for it. I have a feeling I should stop now while you're agreeing," Todd backed down.

"No, it's okay. It really was nothing. I was just reminding Danny, here, how he had endearingly called Oahu _his_ island."

"I did not say, 'my island', Steven." Danny spoke as he settled in the chair, Todd patiently waiting behind it. "It's _your_ island. Why would I say _my_ island?"

"You did, _Daniel_. Why can't you just admit it?"

"Maybe, because I didn't say it?"

"'Discussion'… my big toe," Todd mumbled under his breath as he pushed Danny out the door following Steve as _this_ 'discussion' continued.

"You did."

"I didn't"

* * *

_~The End~_

_Okay. That was fun. Let me know what y'all think._

_(BTW: Yep… he did… in chapter 10.)_

\,,,/

BronsonL


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